


we lay here for weeks and for hours (your hand in mine)

by CJAcrologic



Series: your hand in mine [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood, Blood and Gore, Depression, Description of Assault, Guns, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, Killing, M/M, Torture, Vampire Hunters, Vampire!Doyoung, Vampire!Jaehyun, Vampire!Johnny, Vampires, description of panic attack, vampire!Jungwoo, vampire!Taeyong, vampire!Yuta, vampire!chenle, werewolf!jeno
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:21:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 60,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21799798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CJAcrologic/pseuds/CJAcrologic
Summary: Jaehyun has fallen into a slump, he'll admit it. Depression is a bitch, been there, done that. He just didn't think his life would change that much when he went out with his best friends Ten and Yukhei, but really, he should have seen it coming when Ten announced they were going to that new vampire club, 7th Sense.And who are these new friends Ten has with him?— — —Jaehyun gets attacked at the new vampire-and-guests-only club and a decision has to be made: let him die (which Doyoung seems adamant against happening, even though they just met), or turn him.
Relationships: Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Qian Kun, Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Lee Taeyong/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten, Lee Taeyong/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Series: your hand in mine [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1676656
Comments: 162
Kudos: 609





	1. soju and blood

**Author's Note:**

> ayo here i am again starting something new instead of finishing anything i already have posted oops 
> 
> warnings for this chapter: graphic description of an assault in a club, descriptions of blood, descriptions of out-of-body experience 
> 
> more to come in later chapters that will be updated as we go 
> 
> shout out to lost_inthe_dream for beta'ing as we go
> 
> Edit after it's been finished: thank you so much everyone! i made a spotify playlist for these two saps, i think i link it later on too, but here it is on the front page <3  
> [ _your hand in mine_](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/77HOKz9NQYs9vuhLRjtK3z?si=RMKdeKyIQxKlXak1QyfxYw)

_“Jae, you have to get out of your apartment at some point,”_

“Says who?” Jaehyun grumbled, face-down in the couch. 

_“Says me,”_ Ten announced, _“Come on, grab your bag of Ten-approved clubbing ‘fits and get over here, I’ve got a new group of people to go out tonight with us and Xuxi,_ ”

“Where are we going?” Jaehyun finally rolled his head to the side so he could speak clearly. 

_“7th Sense,”_

Jaehyun nearly fell off the couch in his surprise. “Ten! Isn’t that the new vampire club? There’s no way you’d be able to get in, you don’t know any vampires,” 

_“Duh, that’s what this new group is for. And don’t worry, I have one for each of us,”_

“‘One for each of us’? Ten, what are you talking about?” 

_“You’ll see~! Just be here by 8, we’re getting ready then leaving from mine,”_

With that, Ten hung up, leaving Jaehyun still face-down on the couch. He checked his phone. 7:38. Fuck, that didn’t give him much time for the bus ride over to Ten’s apartment. Sighing, he heaved himself up off the couch and dug around in his closet for the backpack Ten ensured he had packed at all times in case of a ‘clubbing emergency’ and ditzed around the apartment, putting off actually leaving. 

**Text from: tenten <3**

**get over here!!**

“Fine!” he grumbled back, pulling on his shoes and jacket. 

If Ten had wanted him there at 8 on the dot, he would have said 7:45. So Jaehyun arrived at his apartment complex at 8:15, precisely on time for himself. He buzzed Ten’s apartment and waited for the door to unlock, then let himself in. When he got to his apartment, he had only just put his hand on the doorknob before Ten rushed it open. 

“Jaehyunnie, these are my new friends,” Ten dragged him inside, taking his backpack and throwing it down the hallway. 

There in the living room sat Yukhei — his other best friend, not that he gave Jaehyun much of an option he recalled fondly — and three new people. One leaned against the counter in the kitchen, one sat on the couch on the other side of Yukhei, and one stood in the doorway between the living room and the hallway. 

“Hey,” Yukhei greeted, but Jaehyun didn’t get a chance to say anything back. He made eye contact with the man in the doorway and froze in place. 

His dark hair glinted nearly blue in the glare of the lights, contrasting strikingly against his perfectly smooth skin and deep, dark eyes. Those eyes, which drew him in like a black hole, had the smallest bit of eyeliner smudged around the corners like a piece of art he could never afford to own, let alone afford to be in the same room with. 

“This is Taeyong, that’s Jungwoo, and that’s Doyoung. They’re my new friends, say hi Jaehyun, don’t be rude,” 

“Hello,” he stuttered out, only able to rip his eyes away from — Doyoung? — once he looked toward Ten as well. 

“Hi, I’m Taeyong,” the one with strawberry blond hair waved gently. His outfit reflected none of his apparent personality; he seemed soft and small rather than the sexual appearance the unbuttoned silk shirt and body harness would suggest. 

The one with silver hair on the couch beamed a huge smile, seemingly getting comfortable with Yukhei already. He wore clubbing attire as well, though his was a black button up and brilliantly patterned blazer. 

The man in the doorway, however, once more said nothing. 

“So, you’re all — you’re —” Jaehyun spluttered, struggling to string together a conversation. 

“Vamps?” the silver haired one, Jungwoo, supplied. 

“Friends with Ten,” he corrected subtly, politely. He definitely didn’t have anything against vampires, he’d actually been in a few of the protests for the civil rights movement, but he was wondering how long they all knew each other. Ten didn’t make friends easily, so he was curious as to how they became trusted enough to be clubbing buddies already. 

“Yes, they’re my friends, Jae. Now what are you wearing? Is that a college hoodie?” Ten grabbed his shoulders and turned him around to face him, picking and prodding at his outfit. 

“What’s wrong with my hoodie? It’s comfortable,” he tried to smack Ten’s hands away to no avail. 

“Please tell me you have that lavender shirt in your backpack still,” he groaned. 

“Wasn’t that the one where you spilled your sex on the beach on me last time?” 

Ten rolled his eyes and rushed to Jaehyun’s backpack. Then to his own closet. 

Yukhei stood up from the couch and clapped Jaehyun on the shoulder in a greeting. “Hey man, good to see you made it,” 

Jaehyun shrugged his absurdly large hand off his shoulder and moved to get a drink from the assortment of soju on the counter. “Why is it such a surprise?” 

“I’ve heard you’re having a rough time, I was just saying I’m glad you’re coming with us tonight!” he looked for all the world like a kicked puppy. 

Jaehyun took a sip of soju and a deep breath. “You’re right, thank you, Yukhei. I’m glad I’m out of the house tonight too,” 

Jungwoo came up to the counter as well, grinning devilishly. “Yukhei, you didn’t mention that your friend was almost as cute as you,” 

Yukhei flushed an impressive shade of red and laughed loudly. “You’re funny, Jungwoo! Jaehyun is a very handsome man — I mean, he’s quite the ladies’ guy, er, he’s —” he cut himself off, spiraling into gay panic once more. Jaehyun laughed into his bottle. Yukhei was adorably gay, but not quite there mentally. Jaehyun was convinced Yukhei thought of himself as an ‘I’m not gay but $20 is $20’ straight. The boy still thought watching gay porn was what turned you gay, for god’s sake. 

Jungwoo, however, found that pressure point and leaned into it. It was entertaining to watch, to say the least. “Oh, I’m not sure. Wouldn’t you draw people away from him?” he leaned across the island counter and rested his chin in his palms, enjoying watching Yukhei squirm. 

“Ignore him, he’s always like this,” Taeyong laughed behind him. 

“Xuxi, have you seen my grey shirt?” Ten called from his bedroom. 

“No, Tennie,” Yukhei replied automatically, most likely completely unsure of what Ten said. 

Jaehyun smiled and stepped back to stand next to Taeyong. He swallowed down the base fear of having a vampire at his back and forced himself to look past that. “Don’t worry, Yukhei’s always like this too. Nice to meet you, though. Taeyong?” 

“A pleasure,” he smiled sweetly. 

“How did you meet Ten?” 

“I’m the substitute yoga instructor in his gym,” he smirked. Well that didn’t surprise Jaehyun at all. 

“Ah, that sounds about right. And, is it alright if I ask, are you… a…?” 

“Yes, the three of us are all vampires. Don’t worry, I’m vegan,” 

He snorted unintentionally. “Vegan?” 

Taeyong hummed, “Yeah, we either get drained animal’s blood from a local butcher’s or we drink an awful lot of coconut water and eat like a handful of iron tablets a day. Ugh, I couldn’t imagine having to hunt a human each time I wanted to eat. It’d be like drinking milk straight from the cow,” he shuddered. 

“Really? I’m sorry, I’ve never gotten a chance to talk to a real vampire before. You guys are kinda…” 

“Illegal?” Doyoung appeared on the other side of Jaehyun, dead silent (pardon the pun), and scared the shit out of him so bad he sloshed soju down his hoodie. 

“Again, not what I was going to say, maybe more along the lines of, uh, _surreptitious_ ,” 

Doyoung hummed. “Interesting word choice,” 

“Well, the rights movement is going better than anyone expected it to, so I think from a, a non-vampire viewpoint, maybe you’re not exactly prohibited, but people are just still… Uninformed,” 

Jaehyun didn’t miss the sly glance Taeyong shot Doyoung, but neither said anything. He chugged a good amount of soju, thinking he had dug himself into a hole already. 

“Jae! Get your cute little butt over here, I found a shirt for you!” Ten hollered from his own closet. 

“Coming!” he scrambled to get out of the kitchen. Whatever fate Ten had for him was better than this, that was for certain. 

He takes it back. He takes it all back. He would rather be trapped in a room with every vampire he’d ever passed on the street or even seen on TV and ask what their favorite blood type is than go out in what Ten decided he was wearing tonight. 

“Is this _snakeskin?”_

“It’s fake but yes it is, now shut up and put it on!” Ten snapped, “We’re leaving in like five minutes!” 

Jaehyun groaned and put the uglyass snakeskin patterned blazer on, grateful at least that he was allowed to button up his shirt as much as he liked underneath. Ten, on the other hand, only had one _maybe two_ buttons on his shirt and adorned a red velvet blazer. 

“Get over here and let me get some makeup on you,” 

“You didn’t make Yukhei wear makeup!” 

“No, because Jungwoo talked him into it!” Ten once more grabbed his shoulders and this time sat him down on the bathroom counter, taking a brush straight to his eyes. 

“You’re gonna poke me!” 

“Close your eyes then! Not like that!” 

“Are you almost ready?” Jungwoo called from the kitchen, “Our ride is here!” 

“Done, go,” Ten shoved him out of the bathroom a moment later and they scrambled out to the street. 

The club certainly did not help Jaehyun’s nerves. The neon red sign read _7th Sense_ and illuminated the entire street in a bloody glow. Probably exactly what they were going for, Jaehyun grumbled. 

“Ok,” Ten pushed a piece of hair back in place, “Taeyongie, you’re with me. Doyoung, take Jaehyun. Jungwoo… You’re all set. This is just to get us in, don’t worry, I’m not making you all go home with each other tonight. Although,” he linked arms with Taeyong as they got in the short line to get into the club, “I wouldn’t mind going home with you,” he purred. 

“Hm,” Taeyong chewed his lip nervously, “You’ll have to ask Johnny,” 

“Johnny?” 

“My sire,” he smirked, “And my partner,” 

Jaehyun couldn’t tell if Ten was more discouraged or excited to hear that. “Ah, well?” he gestured to Doyoung, “After you?”

“No, you should be a step ahead of me. I’d like to keep you in sight,” he said softly. 

There was something about Doyoung that Jaehyun just couldn’t place. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust him, for as much as Ten was an idiot he was also a good judge of character, but there was something predatory in Doyoung’s eyes. And, unlike other vampires Jaehyun had run into, he liked it. It made him feel desired, treasured almost. Not that he was crushing on the mysterious man, but he would rather have him at his back than someone else. He couldn’t explain it. 

They approached the bouncer who, like normal bouncers, asked for their IDs, but then also asked Taeyong for another card that Jaehyun had never heard of. He handed it easily, everything checked out, he got his IDs back and they went in. 

“What’s that?” Jaehyun whispered. Jungwoo leaned backwards from where he was hanging off Yukhei’s arm and answered, “It’s a blood card. Like a weed card, but for us. We can get bagged blood from donation centers and butchers way easier than if we didn’t,” he winked and licked his teeth then turned to the bouncer for their turn. 

Jaehyun waited for Doyoung to take his out, but he didn’t make any move to do so. At their turn, Jaehyun handed his ID to be checked, and then the bouncer took one look at Doyoung and bowed, stepping out of the way. 

“What just happened?” 

Doyoung gave him a sly sideways smile, “You could say I have some influence in the community,” 

The club would be the same as any other club Jaehyun had been to were it not for the chandeliers holding candles high against the tall ceiling. They were unusual candles that filled the room with as much light as lightbulbs. And the flames were red. But all in all, a regular club. Bass vibrated their hearts in their chests, but the song was hardly recognizable over all the sounds of conversation. 

“Oh,” Jaehyun hummed. 

“Not to your taste?” Doyoung smiled wryly. 

“Quite the opposite, it’s the exact same as any other club Ten’s taken us,” 

All around them, people milled about dressed in more eras and styles of fashion than Jaehyun could name. A woman passed them in a complete 70s gogo dancer outfit, a man stood completely at ease at the nearest bar in a pirate getup. Someone across the room at the dance floor wore a godawful metallic outfit Jaehyun thought had been left in the early 2000s. However, the more he looked, the harder it became to differentiate between humans and vampires. He thought he had it figured out: vampires were pale like a sheet and humans had some color to them, but he scrapped that idea when he saw a man with gorgeous honey colored skin drink a wine glass of something thicker than wine, fangs peeking gently out from behind his lips, while his partner’s skin was nearly the same color as his bleached white hair and laughed with his mouth open wide, no fangs in sight. 

“Alright,” he laughed, “Maybe a little different, but overall very similar,”

Moments later, they met up with Ten and Yukhei, their respective vampires in tow. 

Ten began his rundown and game plan for the night, just like always. “Boys. This club has two floors, bathrooms are off to the right and up the stairs around the corner and to the left. My plan is to go home with someone, so I hope none of you left anything at mine. Yukhei, you’re tallest, if someone —” 

“Johnny!” Taeyong interrupted, looking past the group of new friends. Jaehyun turned to look where he was waving and saw a man standing back in the shadows, leaning against the wall. He pushed off from the wall and joined the group, arm lacing around Taeyong’s waist and other hand resting on Ten’s shoulder. Jaehyun raised an eyebrow at how he subtly placed himself between the two of them, but was mainly amused at Ten’s pout. 

He looked like he just walked out of a 1920’s Mafia movie set. Clean pressed pants, a crisp white button up under a pinstripe waistcoat, complete with wireframe glasses and a pocket watch. 

“This is my sire, Johnny. Love,” Taeyong looked up at Johnny and leaned into his side, “This is Yukhei, Jaehyun, and _Ten_ ,” he said Ten differently than their names. 

Yukhei and Jaehyun swapped a familiar look they shared whenever Ten took them out, the ‘he’s going to have a fun night’ look, and Jaehyun watched as Yukhei leaned down into Jungwoo’s ear to share their thought. Jungwoo laughed a moment later, hand on Yukhei’s chest. Not subtle at all, but cute. He couldn’t wait to see how much of a panicked gay Yukhei became throughout the night. 

The introductions continued for a moment, but Jaehyun laughed and elbowed Doyoung in the side. “Looks like they’ve paired off already, the dicks,” he joked. Doyoung gave him a small but warm smile, but Johnny drew his attention away. 

“Doyoung, I’m surprised you’re here with us and our… present company,” 

Doyoung stiffened the tiniest bit and Jaehyun was only able to tell because they practically stood shoulder to shoulder. “Youngho, finally decided to come out and join the land of the living?”

Jungwoo spoke up instead, “Oh, for once can we have fun without you two getting into it? We get it, you’re Boomers, you’re old. Let’s just dance, ok?” With that, Jungwoo dragged Yukhei off to the dance floor and they immediately got lost in the throng of people. 

Ten gently grabbed Jaehyun’s arm and directed him to the bar. “I’ve been told that they’re both very old, very _distinguished_ members of the community. They’ve known each other for a long time. Shall we get a drink?” 

The bartender came to them after a minute of attending other customers then took their orders swiftly. While they were waiting, Taeyong joined them on the other side of Ten and they once more started talking (and flirting) in earnest. 

“Here you go, boys,” the bartender said with a wink, setting down Ten’s unholy concoction of sugar and vodka and Jaehyun’s rum and coke. 

Jaehyun sipped on it while he turned to watch the crowd for what seemed like hours. That was always his favorite in public places: the people watching. He could dance and party when his friends urged him on, but it was always his favorite to marvel at the interactions people had when they thought no one was looking.

Ten and Taeyong were soon in their own world, eventually joined by a protective Johnny who looked far too entertained to see his boyfriend flirting with someone else. Jungwoo and Yukhei appeared and disappeared at random but always together, giggling or dancing or some combination of the two. Doyoung, however, was nowhere to be found. 

Shame, Jaehyun thought, he would have liked to talk with him. He wasn’t much of a dancer himself, but he was certain there would be a good conversation. Something about Doyoung made Jaeyhun comfortable, like he had an easygoing aura to him. 

“You looking for anyone in particular?” asked a voice next to him. A beautiful woman sat on the stool next to him, a glass of wine in her hand. No, not wine, blood. It was hard to tell in the red candlelight. 

“Hm, no,” he smiled politely, “Just here with my friends. Making sure they don’t get into trouble.” She was gorgeous certainly, but Jaehyun had a thing for brunettes, not blondes. And, ahem, a thing for men, not women. 

“What a responsible friend,” she purred, “Tell me, they wouldn’t happen to be all the way over on the dance floor, would they?” 

“No, they’re right he—” Jaehyun gestured to where Ten and his conquests had been a moment ago, but he caught sight of Taeyong pulling the two others into the crowd just before they disappeared. “I suppose they are,” 

“You poor thing, left all alone. How about this, I’ll be your friend until they come back. Does that sound good?” her eyes were just as dark and deep as Doyoung’s but they didn’t give Jaehyun any of the warmth or security Doyoung’s did. Her eyes made him feel cold and stiff. Uncomfortable. 

“Sure,” he found himself saying despite his better instincts. 

She smiled predatorily and inched closer. “So, no vampire friend breathing down your neck? Someone who smells as good as you, I would have expected to fight off an army to be able to talk to you,” 

Jaehyun swallowed hard. “Oh, erm, thank you. I’m, I’m here with three, no, four tonight. They’re just, indisposed,” 

“Of course,” she leaned closer, “Do you suppose they’ll be… _Indisposed_ for a while? There are some quieter, private rooms upstairs if you’d like to continue this conversation,” 

“Yes,” his mouth said without his permission. A wave of ice sloshed down his spine. He didn’t want to go with her, but he also couldn’t stop looking her in the eyes. 

Jaehyun felt a hand rest heavily on his shoulder and immediately felt warmth radiate out, chasing the ice out of his body and settling his nerves. “That’s quite enough, Yooree,” Doyoung’s soft voice came from behind him, “He’s here with me,” 

She stood immediately. “My apologies, sir. Right away, sir. Have a nice night,” She left without a trace. 

“Thank you, Doyoung,”

“Of course, Jaehyun, I’m sorry I left you alone for a minute too long, it seems,” Doyoung’s hair shone purple in the red light. Those warm eyes were back as well, erasing any anxiety Jaehyun had left in him. 

He hummed without really meaning to, simply making a noise as he realized he felt better with Doyoung around. Maybe he was just a very calming person. 

“Yes?” Doyoung asked, eyebrow quirked up. 

“Oh, nothing,” he responded quickly. Setting his drink down, he faced Doyoung head on. “Do you dance?” 

“No,” he admitted a little shyly, “Not these dances,” 

“Good, neither do I,” Jaehyun grabbed his hand and led him into the crowd. 

Vampires were a grabby, physical people, Jaehyun decided. Every so often, he would feel a hand snake around his waist and spin him ever so gently so he would be dancing with a new partner, just for Doyoung to snatch him back and move him to another part of the dance floor. He honestly couldn’t count how many times this had happened to him. They even made their way up the stairs and to the second dance room, no quieter than the first but a slower dancing pace. More body rolls, less jumping. 

“I think I need a break,” he panted. Glancing at the dance floor, he immediately noticed Ten and Taeyong making a very awkward Johnny sandwich, grinding on him from either side while he looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die. 

“I’ll come with you,” Doyoung offered, not even sweating. 

“Nah, it’s fine. The bathroom’s right there, on the other side of the bar. Do you want to go find Jungwoo and Yukhei? They might still be downstairs. We should check in,” 

Doyoung looked conflicted for a second but nodded, allowing Jaehyun to step out for a moment. 

Not that Jaehyun needed his permission or anything, he was a grownass man and could do what he liked, but he did almost feel bad about going alone. But, on the other hand, he needed a minute away from Doyoung to control the appearing boner — and crush — Doyoung was giving him.

He headed to the bathroom but groaned when he saw a sign that read “OUT OF ORDER: USE DOWNSTAIRS.” Ugh, fine. Thankfully, the stairs were just around the corner, so he wouldn’t even have to go all that far. 

Jaehyun did his best to step to the side when people passed him in the stairwell, but these damn vampires with their grabby hands again slid fingertips down his shirt, looped a hand around his wrist, caressed his cheek with a passing hand… He had been groped a fair amount tonight and was not used to this kind of attention. Normally Yukhei and Ten got the most of this. 

This bathroom was thankfully fairly empty. Another man finished up as he walked in, both cordially moving past each other for the other’s sake. He made note of another little sign, this one in the corner of the mirror stating “MIRRORS ARE ALUMINUM BACKED, NOT SILVER: EVERYONE IS VISIBLE” and chuckled a little at the disclaimer. He had forgotten about vampires and silver but was glad to see there were alternatives. 

As Jaehyun splashed water on his face, he heard the door open. He didn’t see anyone come in before it creaked shut, but he shrugged and patted his face dry, only now remembering the makeup Ten smeared across his cheeks and lids. 

The lights cut out. 

“Whoa, hey,” he exclaimed, waiting for his eyes to adjust, “Did someone bump the switch? I thought I was the only one in here,” 

Another cold shiver ran down his spine. His heart jumped up into his throat, but he fought to stay calm. Just go back to the door and it’ll all be fine, Jae. 

“Do I get you all to myself?” a new voice laughed just behind his left ear. Jaehyun whirled around, desperately searching for whoever was in the bathroom with him, but he still couldn’t see a damn thing. 

“I’ll have you know I’m not here alone,” the words he had gotten used to saying over and over tonight tumbled out of his mouth, but they sounded weaker than they had been when Doyoung was with him. 

“Oh, I know, pretty,” the voice came from behind his other ear this time, “I can smell one all over you. An Elder, at that,” 

He took a few steps toward where he thought the door was, arms outstretched. “Yeah, and he’s gonna be real pissed if you mess with his human,” he didn’t like referring to himself like that, but if that’s what it took that’s what it took. He took another hesitant step toward where the door might have been. Or maybe the counter. Anything at this point. 

“I think I can deal with him,” 

His heart hammered in his throat. Silence filled the bathroom. Where did the vampire go? He thought he heard shuffling behind him, but that could just have easily been his own clothes. 

Something like fire stabbed him in the neck. No not one, two things. Jaehyun fell to the ground, shouting in pain. A mouth clamped around his neck. Fire spread like liquid through his arm and down his back. 

“Help m—” he spluttered, head spinning even though he couldn’t see anything. He felt the cold tile beneath him and a hand around his throat, the other pinning his arm to the side. Harsh talons ripped through his shirt and pierced his skin. 

The bathroom door opened. 

The lights switched on. 

Someone screamed. 

Jaehyun couldn’t keep his eyes open. 

“— hyun, Jaehyun, listen to me…” 

That might have been Ten’s voice. He wasn’t quite sure, since there were three layers of fog between him and the person speaking, and also maybe cotton in his ears. But he could tell wherever they were, he was cold and sore. He felt like he just got hit by a car. No, not a car, a bus. 

“I have to, there’s nothing else we can do,” someone else announced. 

“You’re crazy!” 

No, what was crazy was how bright the light was. Couldn’t someone turn it off? 

“Wazzat?” he slurred.

Wow, was he just absolutely blasted? If he was drunk enough that _he_ could tell his voice was slurred, he must be in a bad way. 

“Hold on,” someone ordered him. Oh, wait, that was Doyoung. Doyoung made him feel warm. He liked Doyoung. 

He announced as much. “Doyoung, I like you. You make me warm,” 

He was being moved. Pressed against Doyoung’s chest. He liked this. Doyoung smelled nice. 

“You smell nice,” 

“Thank you. I like you too, Jaehyun,” Doyoung replied calmly. Funny, the closer he got to Doyoung, the clearer things became. He almost didn’t like it, because then he could feel the pain in his shoulder sharper and the lights around them became brighter. He was horizontal in Doyoung’s arms, held tight to his chest. He was about to say something more about how comfortable Doyoung was when the world spun sharply. 

Seconds later, he was set back down. He rolled to the side and puked. 

“Ten, tell me _now_. Does he have anyone?” 

Jaehyun groggily looked over to the end of the couch (so that’s what he was laying on now) and saw Ten appear in a blink, the two people he was flirting with earlier next to him. He couldn’t remember their names, so sue him. 

Yukhei and the other boy appeared on Ten’s other side. Yukhei looked like he was going to puke. 

Ten answered, “No, he doesn’t. Are you going to —?” 

“I have to,” Doyoung answered swiftly. “Leave. Youngho, help me.” 

The 1920s gangster was at his side in the blink of an eye. He pinned his shoulders to the couch, arms to his sides, and legs together. 

Jaehyun struggled. “Let go of me! Let _go_!” 

“Now,” 

That same fire from before spread through his opposite shoulder this time. This fire, however, leaked through his veins like honey, slowly encompassing everything. Before it lit up like a burn, but this flowed through him differently. Smoother. 

He screamed nonetheless. Fire, liquid or not, would kill him. 

“Ten!” he screamed for help, “ _Yukhei! TEN!_ ” 

He writhed and tried to throw the attackers off, but he could literally feel the strength seeping from his body. His toes started to turn cold, his feet went numb. Then the fire replaced that feeling. He could feel it shoving its way through his veins; it felt like something was being forced through a tube that was too small. His arteries felt swollen and he became aware of every capillary in his body. 

His body didn’t even feel his anymore. He felt like he was pulled off to the side and even though he couldn’t see what was happening, everything else grew separate. The pain of his arm being pinned to his side was in his arm, but his arm was several feet under him. Or, rather, he floated several feet above his arm. The pain on either side of his neck were the only things that anchored him to his body. It was almost like he was a balloon drifting overhead, tied down at the points the fire flowed into him. 

After far too long, the knives were removed from his neck. He suddenly felt cold, so cold. His fingers turned to stone and — 

His heart was pounding in his chest a moment ago, so hard he thought he would choke on it. Where did it go? He couldn’t feel the throbbing of his blood echoing in his ears or his heart threatening to leap out of his chest. 

“Ten, where are you,” he sobbed. His tongue had been replaced with cotton balls and his eyelids had been glued shut. 

“Jaehyun,” Doyoung’s voice cut through the haze of pain and snapped him back into his body like he had never left, “Open your eyes,” 

Jaehyun’s eyes were open before he got the chance to think about it. There above him, Doyoung stared deep into his soul, but instead of the dark black eyes he had originally fallen into, they were an eclipse. Gold around the center, red bleeding from the outside in. 

_“Sleep,”_ Doyoung ordered. 

He did.


	2. eavesdropping and answering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: i took out the "major character death" warning because like yeah jaehyun dies but he's still alive! just,,, as a vampire

Jaehyun awoke sometime later to the sound of shouting. Maybe jolting upright in the bed wasn’t the best idea, but hey, he was in a bed now? His head throbbed (he was probably hungover again and made a mental note to tell Ten to fuck off next time he suggested going out,) but the room was pleasantly dark, so at least that wouldn’t make things worse. 

“I just can’t see why you thought that was a good idea!” someone shouted outside the room. 

“Are you telling me you wouldn’t do the same?” 

Looks like  _ someone _ was in trouble, Jaehyun thought to himself. But there were bigger questions for now. The biggest being where the  _ fuck _ was he? 

“Ornate” didn’t begin to describe the room he was in. The sprawling four-poster bed he was on filled a space the size of his entire bedroom back at his apartment. A desk and a wardrobe lined the wall on the opposite side of the room, or less of a room and more of a… He couldn’t even think of what a better word would be right now. His head  _ throbbed _ and he felt like he was going to puke when he turned his head to move. Fuck, did he drink straight rubbing alcohol last night? 

At least he was alone? He could hear the shouting match outside, but there wasn’t anyone in here now, so he decided to take a moment to collect himself before someone did come in. 

He was equal parts worried and relieved that he wasn’t in Ten’s gaudy snakeskin blazer anymore. He sat comfortably in a set of pajamas… That weren’t his. Oh god, that means someone changed him out of his clothes and into these. 

“Ok, Jaehyun, shit, let’s start small,” he said to himself, scrubbing his face, “You were at a club. With Ten. That guy, Dowon? Doyoon? Do-something, he was cute, and Ten was gonna get fucked, and  _ god _ , why am I so  _ thirsty _ ?” 

He’d been hungover before, but not like this. 

The conversation from earlier continued, “I don’t need this from you, Youngho. I didn’t give you any shit when you found Taeyong.” That Dohyun guy from last night, that was who was on the other side of the door. 

“I  _ talked _ to him about it,” said the other man, most likely Youngho. Jaehyun didn’t recognize that name. 

“Oh, like I had the choice!” 

There was a moment of silence. Then Youngho sighed “I’ll keep the others occupied. I can’t keep the humans away for long, though.” 

“Thank you,” 

“And you’re in charge of telling the council, Doyoung! I’m not going to Junmyeon and Jiyong for you, you have to deal with that yourself. At least Hyejin has a Bond as well, so she’ll be on your side,” Youngho gave in. Doyoung was the other guy’s name — that rang a bell. 

“I know, I’ll handle it,” 

“You better go. He’s awake,”

Fuck, how did they knew he was awake? Were there cameras in here? 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he hissed to himself. He jumped out of bed snuck his way to the wall, not even breathing. Were there windows in this room? No? What the hell kind of bedroom was he stuck in? Instead, he dashed to the door in an instant and pressed his ear against it, listening for footsteps. Weren’t the two of them talking just out here? 

He pushed the door open without a sound, daring to peek out to see where he would go. The bedroom seemed to be at the end of a long hallway that made a left turn at the end? A few other rooms lined the walls, but if this bedroom didn’t have windows, they were probably underground, right? Which means he had to go out a door. 

Jaehyun crept down the hallway, scanning for any possible sign of someone else in the building. God, he was hungry. Or thirsty. Anything really. Even though he walked as silently as he could, his stomach growled, threatening to give him away as he wandered the halls. 

There! That looked like an exit door. Not a front door, but even a back door would work. He just needed to get out. 

“Jaehyun?” he heard someone calling his name and even though it sounded like it was right behind him, there was no one nearby. He sprinted faster than he thought he could have and got to the door in an instant. Wrenching it open, he flung it off of its hinges, warping the metal and spintering the frame. 

Blinding light flooded the mud room. It burned his eyes, and when he raised his arms to shield himself, it burned his skin too. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that he needed to get out right now. 

Without even seeing where he was running, Jaehyun bolted out the door. 

The light burned. He couldn’t see where he was going. 

WHAM! 

He collided head first into  _ something _ and fell ass-first onto the ground. The back of his head, which had just hit the whatever was in front of him, hit the ground hard. Jaehyun passed out. 

\---------

Doyoung watched Jaehyun sprint across the lawn in his personal favorite pajamas, smack into a tree, and go down like a log. 

“Sure did pick a good one,” Yuta laughed, sipping from his blood pack like it was a juice box. 

“Oh, shut up and hold the door for me,” he grumbled, unrolling his sleeves to cover his arms. 

He had to admit, he was a little proud that Jaehyun’s first instinct was to run. He woke up in a strange house after being attacked, he probably felt more sick than he had in his entire life, and made a break for it. He even stepped outside in the  _ sunlight _ . That was impressive for any fledgling, never mind that he was a second generation vampire. 

Doyoung made quick work of stepping outside, scooping up Jaehyun’s body, and darting back inside before the sun could do more than turn him pink. Yuta dutifully held the door open for him, but that didn’t mean he would stop making fun of his sire. 

“Well, that could have gone better,” he slurped through the straw, “You didn’t do that with me, did you?” 

“Of course not, Yuta,” Doyoung chided, “You were far too stupid to think to run when you first woke up,” 

Yuta choked on his blood packet but quickly recovered, rolling his eyes and following his sire back down to the basement. 

Doyoung did really like this house. It took a while, but he eventually got this miniature mansion remodeled to have a basement nearly as big as the house itself. It fit their entire coven comfortably, with the youngest generations or more recently turned in the lower levels of the basement, safely out of reach of the sun. Not to say that he himself wasn’t affected by sunlight, but that was what the blackout curtains and UV treated windows upstairs were for. Being one of the last Borne Vampyres did come with some perks, after all. 

They descended flight after flight to get to the Nursery, as they affectionately called bottom floor. 

“You gonna stay with him this time?” Yuta asked as Doyoung set his newest Childe on the bed he was in moments ago. 

“Yeah, that might be smart. Wanna go grab me a blood pack?” 

“You gonna have him drink from that?” 

“No, he’ll eat from me, but I’ll need another one or two,” 

“What flavor?” 

“Chocolate,” Doyoung answered, completely deadpan. 

Yuta fake-gagged, “I still think flavored blood would be disgusting. You’re not gonna get anywhere selling that, only Mark would eat it. Lemme guess, A?” 

“No, it’ll be his first meal. Crack open an AB, why not make it a good one,” 

“Cool, I’ll tell Taeyong to order some more then,” Yuta left in a blink and reappeared just as quickly, cool blood pack in hand. 

“Oh, stop it,” Doyoung neatly punctured one corner with a fang and sipped languidly, “You know he hates it. Just let him be,” 

“He gets hangry!” Yuta complained, throwing himself in a chair and kicking his feet up on the desk, “I get it, coconut water is similar enough to plasma that he’s fine, but if he misses those pills he’s terrible,” 

“Well good thing you didn’t sire him, and a good thing you’re not dating him,” 

They fell into a comfortable silence for a moment, each finishing their blood pack. It was times like this that really made Doyoung appreciate the Sire-Childe Bond: he was so nervous he felt he was about to faint, but Yuta intentionally sent him wave after wave of reassurance. Tinted with a bit of teasing, of course, but reassurance all the same. Yuta had done this much more recently; had dealt with a newly turned fledgling. Mark was coming up on 20 years with them now. But Doyoung? The last time he turned someone was Yuta. 400 years? 

“394,” Yuta supplied helpfully, knowing precisely what Doyoung was thinking. 

That was the other part that had Doyoung nervous. He couldn’t remember the last time someone found a non-platonic Soul Bond. 

With Yuta, Doyoung found him in Japan, just before the isolationist policies fully took place. He was a smart kid, just wanted to explore the world, but in the Tokugawa period where status was based on inheritance, a homeless street rat wouldn’t ever get the chance. 

Doyoung knew from the moment he saw the boy that this was one of those famed Soul Bonds that he never actually believed in until then. A vampire’s soul, it’s said, can exist on its own, but it is actually just one part of something bigger. Every so often, if you lived long enough, you could find your other pieces. Or so he had been told growing up. Platonic, romantic, even arch enemies, it didn’t matter. Once you found them, you were connected. Should anything happen to them, it would happen to you too. 

Yuta travelled with him for years before Doyoung finally turned him. He wanted him to reach an age that gave him the maturity of an adult and yet wouldn’t look strange when they kept travelling together, since Doyoung wouldn’t ever age past 30 at the oldest. 

Shocked wouldn’t even begin to cover what he felt last night when he met Jaehyun. Dumbfounded was more like it. Another piece of himself slid into place. There was also no mistaking that this wasn’t another platonic bond. He saw Jaehyun and was immediately in love, the way the stories always told him he would know. 

So no, he couldn’t have let him die last night. He had to turn him. If Jaehyun died, Doyoung would have died. And if Doyoung died, so would Yuta. If Yuta died, so would his childe and Soul Bond, Mark. 

It was a little bit of a fucked up system, vampire lineage, but there were advantages. The main one being a damn good incentive to never have another civil war again, because if you kill someone on the battlefield, who knows how many people that would affect. 

Yuta stood and wordlessly offered to take Doyoung’s empty blood pack. He gave one last reassuring smile before slipping out of the room and out of the Nursery, heading back upstairs to the main house. 

Doyoung listened to him go, footsteps padding softly on the carpet upstairs.

Now to wait for Jaehyun to wake up. 

\-------- 

When Jaehyun woke up, he smelled the most delicious  _ something _ he had ever smelled  _ in his life _ . 

His eyes snapped open and he immediately began searching for the food. He couldn’t even tell what it was, but to his starving mind it was water in a desert. 

There, in the chair next to the desk that he saw when he first woke up, sat Doyoung, wrist dripping blood delicately down his arm. 

Something came over Jaehyun. An animal pushed him out of the driver’s seat of his own body and launched at Doyoung, teeth too big in his mouth and nails ready to slice him open. 

Doyoung caught him by the throat with his good hand and held him in place, feet dangling a few inches off the floor. 

“Good morning,” Doyoung laughed. 

Jaehyun snarled. He needed to let go of him  _ right now  _ because he  _ needed to eat RIGHT NOW _ . 

“I know, you’re hungry, but I haven’t done this in a while, so we’re going to go slow, alright? I’ll feed you, but you have to listen to me. Can you do that?” 

The animal in control of his brain thought for a moment. Doyoung was much stronger than he was, that was for sure, so he couldn’t fight him. But he said he would get fed anyway…  _ And Doyoung felt safe, remember? _ He told himself, somewhere deep in there. 

“I’ll set you down, but you need to sit,” Doyoung instructed. 

Jaehyun would do whatever he needed to get that crimson ambrosia. He nodded weakly, still being held in the air by his throat. Dimly, he registered that he wasn’t suffering like he probably normally would have if he were held by the throat, but he didn’t even stop to pay attention to that. 

Doyoung lowered him slowly to the ground and let him stand on his own feet, but still held fast to his throat, waiting for his reaction. Every muscle in Jaehyun’s body flexed but the promise of food made him stay where he was. Doyoung smiled and slowly released him, moving his hand to his shoulder to guide him to the chair next to him. 

“I have some instructions, alright? Suck on it, don’t bite. If you bite me, I’ll pull you off and leave. Understood?” 

“Yes,” he grit out, squirming in his seat but staying where he was. 

Doyoung held out his bleeding wrist, some of the blood running so far as to hit the cuff of his rolled sleeve, darkening the grey material. Jaehyun snatched his arm and pulled it to himself, but at a warning noise from Doyoung, relaxed his hold. He maintained eye contact as he bent to sniff, not trusting Doyoung to stay where he was. 

The animal in his brain fought diligently, screaming that it couldn’t trust Doyoung. He was dangerous and old and strong, he wasn’t safe to be around. Not right now, not yet. But something in his chest, warm but small, whispered that Doyoung was the only thing he could trust. Doyoung was safe. Doyoung would help him. 

He liked the small warm feeling his chest gave him instead of the scared, cold one from his mind. 

He bent and licked at the trail of blood down his forearm. His fangs grew, longing to sink in and  _ take _ , but he also screwed up his face and nearly spat it out. 

Doyoung laughed, “I know, it’s not fresh, but you’ll get used to it. I can’t trust you with a person yet. Go on, keep going,” 

Jaehyun made his way up Doyoung’s arm to the small wound on his wrist. Gently, he pressed a little harder with his thumb and made some more blood well out, fully aware of Doyoung’s eyes watching him intensely. 

“Good job,” Doyoung praised as Jaehyun wrapped his lips around the wound and  _ sucked _ , trying to gulp down mouthfuls but only able to get a taste at a time. 

His senses sharpened. Blood trickled down his throat and he could taste all the individual components. The iron, the plasma, if he concentrated he could taste the antigens that made it AB. Wait a second. How did he know that? 

As his senses sharpened, his mind cleared. What was he  _ doing? _ Was his mouth full of  _ blood _ ? 

He pulled off Doyoung’s wrist and shoved him away. 

“What the  _ fuck _ ?” 

“Hi, Jaehyun,” Doyoung laughed again, smiling fondly. 

“What the fuck,” he repeated, going back and forth between Doyoung’s face and bleeding wrist. A haze of something washed over him once more, but he shook his head to clear it. He wanted to take and take and take from Doyoung’s wrist, to drain him of that delicious liquid, but now he had a grasp on his mind once more. And the rational, human part of his mind said _what the_ _fuck_. 

“Catching up with you? That didn’t take much, I’m impressed,” Doyoung beamed and held out his wrist again, “Take a bit more, then I’ll answer what questions you have,” 

“No, god, what? I’m not drinking,” yes, some things were catching up with him, but he just couldn’t fully grasp what was really happening here. It was like looking at a painting by going over it with a microscope. He could see  _ something  _ but he had no idea what it was. 

“Yes, you will. I know, it’s weird, but do it. It’ll help,” 

Once more, his head fought his heart, but this time his stomach came in to play, and that overwhelmed the others by far, coincidentally siding with his heart. He brought Doyoung’s wrist to his lips again and took greedily, only hesitating for a moment when Doyoung shifted. 

This time as he drank, he didn’t stop. He didn’t want to. He let it fill him, let it sate his craving and allowed himself to feel the warmth flow through him like lightning through his nerves. He could physically feel his body regaining control: he lost any tremors in his limbs and the headache at his temples, feeling returned to his toes, and above all the stabbing pain of hunger subsided. 

He drank until Doyoung gently lifted his chin from his wrist, bringing his face up to look him in the eye while he smiled bright and warm. Something else nestled itself in his chest too, a warm little ball of pride snuggled in between his ribs and radiated out to inflate his chest. 

“There, feel better?” Doyoung let go of his face and brought his wrist to his own lips. He gave the cut a quick lick and Jaehyun watched in amazement as the flesh nearly knit itself back together. 

He nodded numbly. “I’m a vampire,” he announced, not even questioning. 

“You are,” Doyoung answered, turning more solemn. Jaehyun still felt that ball of pride, but noticed it became a little dimmer, like it was trying to hide. “What do you want me to tell you first?” 

He could ask anything. Where was he? What happened? Did he have to drink blood all the time? Was he able to eat real food? He didn’t want to kill anyone, would he have to? But the only thing that came out of his mouth was: 

“Are Ten and Yukhei safe?”

Doyoung seemed almost relieved. “Yes, they’ve actually been a bit of a pain because they wanted to see you while you were still unconscious. But now that you’re awake, I’ll have someone tell them you’re alright,” 

“Will I be able to see them?” That was the next pressing question. Jaeyun had heard tales of people being turned and then left to fend for themselves; they became bloodthirsty monsters, attacking the first person unfortunate enough to come near them. 

“Actually,” Doyoung considered it for a moment, something Jaehyun didn’t even expect, “I’m inclined to say yes. Maybe in a few days, after you get used to yourself. We’ll see. But for now, they’re safe, and I’ll have Yuta let them know,” 

He wanted to know who Yuta was, but that also didn’t matter right now. Jaehyun simply focused on the weight of his first statement to press on him for a minute. 

But actually… 

That was ok. 

He was a vampire. So what? It’s not like he had a life anyway. Last week, Ten had to physically come to his apartment and drag him out of bed so he would make it to work, and even then he had received his final warning without even batting an eye. His only friends were Ten and Yukhei, and even then things with Yukhei had been strained because Jaehyun had been snapping more than usual even though he knew Yukhei was sensitive. 

Honestly he had been depressed for a while, so it’s not like any of this would change much. He already didn’t go out, hardly ate, slept odd hours. Now he just had an insatiable bloodlust on top of it and was a danger to himself and society! 

“You’re not freaking out like I thought you would,” Doyoung said cautiously. 

“Well,” Jaehyun ran a hand through his hair, “Honestly, the way things have been going lately, this might as well happen,” he tried to laugh it off but it fell just a little short. 

“Would you like to hear about what happened?” 

Jaehyun nodded. Not that it mattered since it was already over, but he should probably hear just for his own sake. 

“You were cornered in the bathroom by a… Let’s call him an extremist. A rogue, a — a supremacist, in a sense. He had the power to create isolation bubbles, it seems. So when he got you in the bathroom alone… We didn’t even know anything was happening until the field was broken. Someone walked in and found you,” 

Jaehyun could remember it. The bathroom, the lights went out. Hot breath on his ear, down his neck. A stabbing pain in his shoulder. 

Light, and a scream, and Doyoung was there. Then he wasn’t, then he was back again. 

The excruciating pain once he was brought here, to the house. 

“What… What happened to him?” 

Doyoung looked at the ground, “I killed him. Beheaded, actually,” 

“You killed him? I thought vampires didn’t kill vampires,” It was something of a joke among humans that the only way you would be safe from a vampire was if you were one. Since revealing themselves to humanity, vampires had let little slip about their culture, but humans are very good at picking things up. Vampires fought, just like anyone else, but never killed each other. They also didn’t kill humans if Jaehyun was being honest, but humans loved to blow things out of proportion anyway. 

“We’re not supposed to. But, erm, I — I didn’t think it through, exactly. You see,” he began to explain, “Ever since our last civil war hundreds of years ago, it’s been stringently upheld that we cannot kill another of our kind. The punishment is severe: eternal imprisonment. But I think the Court will side with me on this,” 

Eternal? “Why is it so severe?” 

“We have what we call Soul Bonds. It’s, um,” Doyoung looked flustered for the first time which made Jaehyun nervous since he had been in complete control up until now. “Soul Bonds are connections that, that our souls make. You and that person are linked in every way possible, and it can be platonic, romantic, et cetera, but you are tied together. If anything happens to you, it happens to them. So, if your Soul Bond dies, so do you. And if you have any other Bonds, since you would then die, they would die. And so on and so forth until the line ends,” 

Oh holy fuck. “So if you kill one person…” 

“There’s a chance you just killed an entire family, yes. So I, uh, also couldn’t let him kill you,” 

Oh, that’s cool, Doyoung considered him family after the first day they met. A little fast, Jaehyun thought, but an honor? I mean, maybe Doyoung was just one of those people who adopted people left and right, Ten was — 

“Oh my god, you mean we’re Soul Bonds,” it all caught up to him at once. 

Oh fuck, he was a vampire. 

Fuck, wait, he was a  _ vampire. _

“There it is,” Doyoung remarked. Jaehyun ignored him and stood, pacing around the room. 

“Wait, what did I do earlier?” 

“You panicked and tried to escape. I’m proud, honestly, you went outside in the sunlight,” 

Jaehyun had plenty of space to wander in this room. This large, windowless bedroom. Noticing details about it were definitely  _ not _ a way to ignore the crisis threatening to bubble over. 

“Proud?” 

Doyoung just watched him run circles around the couch in the center of the room. “Yes, it’s quite impressive that you’re so newly turned and not asleep right now. It’s, what, 4:00 in the afternoon? Mark’s still asleep, and he’s been around 20 years,” 

“Who the fuck is Mark,” he whispered to himself. 

“You’ll meet him later,” 

Jaehyun stopped and scrubbed his face with his hands. “Ok, ok, lemme get this straight. I’m a vampire now?” 

“Yes,” 

“I was attacked?” 

“Yes,” 

“Cool, cool, cool. And we’re… Soulmates?” He felt a jolt of energy race down his spine as Doyoung sat upright in shock. Oh, that was interesting. 

“Ah, Soul  _ Bonds _ . There’s a…. A difference,” 

Whatever, he didn’t have time for Doyoung’s cryptic messages now. “So now I need to drink blood. I just drank your blood,” 

“Yes and no,” he replied, “You drank from me, but you can only do that since it was my venom that turned you. You can’t really drink from anyone else. And it wasn’t my blood, per se, but what I ate earlier,”

“God, I need a coffee,” he groaned, “Or alcohol,” 

Doyoung finally stood. “Wanna come upstairs? I’m not going to let you drink right now, but we do have coffee,” 

Jaehyun looked Doyoung in the eye. That was maybe the best thing he head heard in his entire life. “Vampires can drink coffee?” 

“Oh my god, I don’t think I would have lived to be this old if I couldn’t drink coffee,” he joked. “C’mon, let’s go meet Yuta?” 

Jaehyun shook his head and followed Doyoung out of the bedroom. “I don’t know who the fuck that is either,” he laughed. 


	3. scars and scares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: jaehyun has a bit of an anxiety/panic attack at the end (i mean understandably) but i do describe it from his POV, so that's something to watch out for if that will affect you!

_ “You piece of shit! I can’t believe you scared us like that!” _

Jaehyun held the phone away from his face and let Ten ramble for a minute. 

“Ten,” he tried interrupting. 

_ “It’s been two days! Tell Do-assface he’s a piece of shit too for not contacting us sooner!” _

“Ten,” Jaehyun tried interrupting again, sending an apologetic look to Doyoung. Yuta, meanwhile, was busy dying of laughter on the couch. 

_ “You better text us every hour on the hour or I’m coming over there myself to break you out,” _ Ten threatened. 

“Ten!” 

_ “Don’t you ‘Ten’ me, Jung Yoonoh, I am older than you and I know where you sleep!” _

“ _ Ten _ !” he tried one more time, “I’m ok, don’t come over to break me out. How’s Yukhei?” he changed the subject. 

_ “Fucking wrecked. I don’t know if I want to punch Jungwoo or kiss him, since he hasn’t left little Xuxi’s side,”  _

“Please don’t punch Jungwoo, Ten,” Doyoung said, revealing that he had been listening all along, “Although I can’t decide if he would rather be punched or kissed,” 

Ten was silent for a moment.  _ “Jae, was that Do-shit? Has he been listening?” _

He snorted. “Yes, Ten. You are on speaker,” 

Ten cleared his throat.  _ “Alright. Listen here, Do-fuck, I don’t care if you’re 20 years older than me or 200 years older than me, I will beat your ass if you so much as hurt a hair on Jaehyun’s damn head. I did some research, he’s not gonna attack me even though he’s a new baby because he is my family, so I will be there tomorrow night to make sure you’re treating him right. Got it?”  _

Yuta snickered and Doyoung gave Jaehyun a sideways smile, “Understood, Mr. Ten,” 

Ten huffed on the other end of the phone.  _ “Good. I’ll tell Yukhei you’re alright, Jae, maybe then Jungwoo will go home for once,”  _

With that, he hung up. Ten had never been one for good-byes. 

Yuta stood up from the couch and grabbed his coffee, taking his hair out of the bun it was in just to tie it back up better, “Wow, I love him. He’ll fit right in,” 

They sipped their coffee for a minute. Jaehyun took note of how he could feel it moving through his system. He felt the warmth spread through his cold hands and, while he didn’t have a heart rate to raise anymore, he felt all the other effects of the caffeine. 

Yuta broke the silence, “Mark’s awake. About time, too. It’s what, 6:00?” 

Jaehyun glanced at the clock on the oven. Honestly, it wasn’t too unusual for him to have coffee at 6pm. He rubbed his face again. Maybe this vampire stuff wouldn’t be too bad. 

Surprisingly, Jaehyun felt Mark walk into the kitchen. A tingling sensation on the back of his neck made him stiffen and look up, just as a boy with mint green hair walked in, still half asleep. 

“Morning,” he grumbled, blearly heading to the kitchen. 

“Give him a second,” Yuta whispered. 

Mark blinked once he sat down at the counter and stared at Jaehyun for a moment. “Whoa, you’re awake! Nice to meet you, bro,” he smiled once it hit him. “Yuta, can you feel him too?” 

“Yeah,” he nodded, rummaging through the fridge. 

“Hold up. ‘Feel’ me?” 

“Yeah,” Mark began excitedly, completely awake now, “We’re kinda like blood brothers, since we’re all part of Doyoung’s bloodline! So Yuta turned me, but Doyoung turned Yuta, so my venom is Yuta’s which is Doyoung’s. Now that you’re turned, we share the Blood Link! That’s awesome, bro!” 

He was so excited for someone who was asleep five minutes ago. “Is that the Soul Bond? Or a different thing?” 

“Pfft, nah,” Mark accepted the steaming mug of not-coffee Yuta handed him, “Soul Bonds are big things. The Blood Link is just a little connection. It’s like having your location on in snapchat, kinda,” 

“Oh, that makes sense,” 

“Fuck, Mark, I swear, you’ve gotta catch me up on this shit,” Yuta groaned, handing a fresh mug to Jaehyun as well. “Here, drink this. I think you got maybe a liter from Doyoungie? Take a top-off,” 

Jaehyun brought it to his lips before stopping to think what Yuta was talking about. It smelled absolutely heavenly, was that a nutty smell? The mug was also warm in his hands and his coffee was nearly gone, so he accepted it gratefully. 

“O neg for Doyoungie, coming right up,” Yuta microwaved one last mug. 

It was in his mouth before his brain processed what Yuta said. ‘Oh neg’? What’s that? Like oat milk? ‘Oat’ neg?

Blood. 

Blood was in his mouth. 

Steaming, metallic, sickly sweet blood. 

_ Why did it taste so good? _

He gagged, doing his best not to spit it out, but it also slid past his tongue better than anything ever had before. 

“Dude, I thought you said you had fed him already?” Mark raised an eyebrow. 

“I did,” Doyoung took his mug from Yuta, “I don’t think it really connected until now though,” 

Mark clapped him on the back and held his mug, “You’re fine. It takes a minute. Like drinking beer for the first time, right guys? Here, little sips,” 

Doyoung and Yuta looked at each other and made a face. 

“Hey, beer from when I grew up isn’t really around anymore,” Yuta shrugged. 

“I don’t remember the first time I had beer,” Doyoung shrugged as well. 

Jaehyun took another sip, encouraged by Mark’s enthusiasm, and scoffed. “How old are you guys anyway?” 

Mark answered first. “I was born in ‘79,” 

“Like 1979?” 

“Yeah. I was turned in 1999, so in vampire terms I’m 21 years old, but in human terms, I guess I’m like 40? 41?” he stopped and laughed, “Whoa, that’s weird to think about!” 

“So you’re still, like, a person,” 

“Rude! What am I then?” Doyoung gasped. Jaehyun would be worried he actually offended Doyoung if it weren’t for the warm ball of laughter in his chest that, now that he thought about it, was specifically Doyoung. He could feel Yuta and Mark vaguely, just like Mark said, but Doyoung was a solid presence in his chest, warm and bright. It was weird, but he decided he liked it. 

Without hesitation, Yuta answered “Old as balls.” They laughed, then Yuta answered, “I’m nearly 400,” 

“394,” Doyoung elbowed him in the side, referencing something from earlier, “And I have no idea how old I am. I’m sure someone else is keeping track, but I wasn’t turned,” 

“What?” how could he be a vampire if he wasn’t turned? 

“Doyoung’s a Borne Vampyre,” Yuta stated as if bragging about a crowning achievement. 

“Is that supposed to mean something to me…?” 

Yuta rolled his eyes, muttering something about ‘damn humans these days,’ and Mark laughed quietly. 

Doyoung answered, “I am one of the last few of my race, but not at the same time. Vampires used to be a species, an ancient one at that, who turned people very rarely. We had a global civil war hundreds of years ago — few people even remember it anymore — but now there are only a handful of us who were born the way we are,” 

“That’s also why you and I will have some differences, bro,” Mark jumped in, “I’m third gen, because Doyoung turned Yuta who turned me. So I don’t need to feed as often as you, which is nice sometimes, but you won’t get affected by stuff as much as me,” 

“Stuff like what?” 

“Well I sleep during the day. I’m better than Donghyuck, he’s what, fifth?”

“We don’t know what Jungwoo is, remember?” Yuta answered. 

“Fuck, that’s true. Well anyway, Donghyuck is at least fourth, if not fifth, because he passes out the second the sun rises. Like, he physically cannot stay awake. Oh, by the way, he should be up soon,” Mark laughed about his friend then turned to remind Doyoung and Yuta. 

“But you can?” Jaehyun hesitantly took another sip of the warm blood and hated himself for liking it. 

“Yeah, but it’s not too different than when I was human. Night time was the time to sleep, right? I could pull an all-nighter if I wanted to, but that doesn’t sound fun. Meanwhile, you and Yuta won’t have any problems with that,” 

“And Doyoungie hardly sleeps, but that’s just him being a stubborn asshole,” Yuta scoffed. 

Someone behind him grumbled. “Mornin’,” 

Jaehyun jumped and spun around to see a boy with soft brown hair sticking up at every angle stumble into the kitchen, even worse than Mark had been. He waddled over and leaned on Mark’s shoulder, nearly falling back asleep. Jaehyun noticed a few multi-colored highlights mixed in the soft brown tangle and quietly pushed a hand through his own pastel pink hair. 

“Morning, Hyuck,” Mark offered him his half-gone mug of blood. 

“How come I can’t tell he’s here like with you guys?” 

“Donghyuck has a different sire.” Doyoung explained while Yuta fake-gagged when Mark gave his boyfriend (?) a kiss on the cheek, “And yes,” Doyoung answered before he could ask, “They’re together,” 

“Sicheng’s waking up too,” Donghyuck yawned, downing the last of Mark’s mug. 

“Jaehyun,” Doyoung asked, “Do you want to meet the rest of the coven or come take a walk with me?” 

He wasn’t going to lie, a lot had been happening and new people probably weren’t the best idea right now. Not that he wouldn’t like them, but he was an introvert at heart and probably wouldn’t even remember their names. 

“A walk would be good. And maybe some clothes?” 

Doyoung cleared his throat, “Yes, of course. Sorry, this way,” 

He gestured out of the kitchen then speed-walked away, leaving Jaehyun scrambling to keep up. 

They stepped out into the hall and Jaehyun found himself lost in a huge foyer. He didn’t even think houses  _ had _ foyers anymore. He just stepped out of an expensive but normal basement-slash-den and stepped into the lobby of a hotel worth more than his life income. 

The ceiling was at least two stories tall and the room sheltered off the stairway to the side behind floor to ceiling windows. Couches that Jaehyun didn’t doubt cost more than his apartment formed a semi-circle around the massive curved TV, complete with a personal mini-bar off to the side. He felt like he was in the Stark Tower or something. 

“Sorry, it’s not much,” Doyoung shrugged sheepishly, “Yuta wants the East Wing expanded some, but I told him he has to settle that himself,” 

Was he apologizing for this? Jaehyun feels like he should be apologizing to him for dirtying this place with his presence. East  _ Wing _ ? An entire  _ wing _ of the building,  _ so far _ from the middle it had to be designated as the  _ east _ one? 

He mumbled out something that could have passed as “no you’re fine,” but he honestly had no idea. Fuck, is this what it was like marrying rich? 

Doyoung laughed to himself then pointed Jaehyun to the stairs. “Up here is my bedroom and office, I’ll show you to my closet then you can pick out what clothes you like,” 

The fact that Jaehyun had to be  _ shown where the closet was _ really fucked him over. 

“Doyoung,” he mumbled, “You do know that this building costs more than my life, right?” 

“Oh, no, of course not,” Doyoung waved him off, “You’re part of the coven now. I’m just sorry it’s not a more impressive show,” 

He led him up two flights of stairs to a short hallway that branched off into two, the end being another wall of complete glass. On the right, an in-home office sat neat and pristine, more windows instead of the inside wall. Doyoung led the way into the room on the right: a spacious, dark, yet… maybe not cozy, because Jaehyun felt something cozy was small and warm and well-lived in, but maybe it was welcoming. Dark grey walls with gold accents perfectly matched the black sheets and comforter on the platform bed, complete with a custom back-lit wood paneling headboard. Again, this room alone cost more than his  _ life _ . 

“No coffin?” he joked uneasily. 

“Pfft, of course not,” Doyoung laughed, a warm and welcoming sound that cut through the discomfort of being in such a strange place, “We haven’t had those since the 1800’s. My wardrobe is through here,” 

_ Wardrobe is putting it lightly _ . Jaehyun thought to himself. Once again, Doyoung snickered to himself, making Jaehyun give him a look, but he sat innocently on the couch and waited politely. 

Jaehyun walked into the entire guest bedroom-sized closet and spun in a circle. Ok, what was the plainest clothes he could grab, because again, all of this cost more than his tuition back in college. Was that  _ Gucci? _

“Damn, boy,” he whistled. There we go, a section of the closet dedicated to pants. He and Doyoung were about the same size, these would work for now. He grabbed a pair of black jeans and after looking at the size for a second, he decided he didn’t care that much and threw them on anyway. They fit well enough, maybe a little tight around the thighs, but that was a problem for later. 

He had to physically go around the corner to find the section of shirts or sweaters or anything. “Doesn’t this man have a plain black t-shirt?” he hissed, flicking through designer silk button-ups and blazers. 

A knit sweater would work. He didn’t really feel cold, maybe it was a vampire thing or maybe it was just warm in the house, but that didn’t matter. It was soft and the sleeves were just a little longer than his fingertips, letting him ball his hands up if he wanted to. Perfect. 

He wound his way back through the closet maze and eventually found the bedroom again. Just before he stepped out, he very quickly stopped to check his reflection in a mirror. Not that he was worried about how he looked in front of Doyoung! But he, uh, had to make sure the jeans fit right! 

And yeah, they certainly did. He couldn’t help but take a peek at his own ass in these jeans. Damn, maybe designer clothes really were better. But as he moved his eyes up, he stopped for a moment. 

He wasn’t quite greasy, but wasn’t quite clean either. His soft pink hair was gnarly and ruffled, but didn’t look like he was oily either. He just needed to brush it, maybe. Deep bags sat under his eyes, but he had been through a hell of a lot these past few days.

The next thing he noticed was his neck. An angry red half-circle sat on his right side, teeth marks clear and deep. It had scarred over but kept its angry pink aura with only a little bit of crusted blood and plasma around the edges. He moved his shoulder slightly and saw a matching semi-circle on the back of his shoulder, making a perfect cookie-cutter shark bite impression. He really had been mauled. 

He traced his fingers over it lightly, surprised that it didn’t hurt. Since he was trash and couldn’t help it, he picked away a little bit of the scab as well, but instead of bleeding like he expected, a pinprick of blood welled to the surface. It then immediately formed a scab where the original had been. Huh, super healing was pretty neat. It made him a little sick to see his skin knit together like that, but he swallowed down the bile and moved on. 

Wasn’t he bit on the other side as well? He thought he remembered Doyoung on his left, the fire in his veins there as well. He searched the other side of his neck but found nothing. No scar, no bruise, no — wait. 

Was that it? He leaned into the mirror and took a closer look (oh wow, his eyesight was better now too). There, just above his artery, sat two tiny silver scars. No bigger than the tip of a pencil, he couldn’t even see it unless he specifically looked. 

Jaehyun reached up to brush over them, wondering if the skin was raised at all. The second his finger pad touched the delicate mark, a shiver ran down his spine. 

Doyoung appeared next to him. 

“Ah, shit!” Jaehyun shouted, jumping a mile into the air. 

“Yes?” Doyoung asked, as if Jaehyun had just called his name. 

“What? I thought you were in the bedroom?” 

Doyoung gave him a look that was probably supposed to mean something but Jaehyun couldn’t tell what, for the life of him. “You called me,” he said simply. 

“No I didn’t,” 

“Did you touch the Bite?” 

Jaehyun looked back in the mirror then back to Doyoung. “Yeah, I guess I did? Why?” 

“It calls me to you,” he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

“Oh,” he answered lamely. “I touched this one too, is that gonna bring the creep that attacked me here?” 

“No,” Doyoung answered with complete authority, “I killed him. And he didn’t turn you; his venom doesn’t run through your veins. Mine does,” 

Vampires were possessive, weren’t they? 

Doyoung hummed, “I suppose we are,” 

“Ok, dude, you  _ have _ to stop doing that!” Jaehyun turned to him. 

“Doing what?” 

“Whenever I think something, you react to it like you can read my thoughts!” 

“But I can?” Doyoung led the way out of the closet/room and back to the bedroom. He sat in an armchair near the couch, lounging gracefully, while Jaehyun leaned against the arm of the one opposite. “We are Bonded, which means we are connected,” 

Jaehyun rubbed his eyes, “Ok, pretend I’m stupid. You’ve gotta walk me through what that means. Are you telepathic?” 

“No, my power is Order,” 

That’s a whole other question. He shook his head, “Then how can you tell what I’m thinking?” 

“I listen,” Doyoung answered, “Here, focus on me and listen. You should be able to as well, although admittedly I have more practice,” 

Jaehyun had no idea what the fuck Doyoung was talking about, but he sat and focused on Doyoung. His hair was nice, dark and silky, and his clothes were expensive. His long legs draped over the edge of the chair and — 

_ Cute funny small protect young gorgeous Mine awkward adorable delectable nurture Mate smart learning train him protect him keep him safe — _

“What the fuck?” Jaehyun slipped and fell into the seat of the armchair, “What was that?” 

Doyoung smiled and Jaehyun felt that little bubble of happiness in his chest rise up again. “You heard me. Since we’re Bonded, we have a stronger link than the Blood Link,” 

Jaehyun regained some semblance of confidence seeing Doyoung’s smile (for some reason) so he sat in the chair and grinned, “So you think I’m gorgeous?” 

“Yes,” he said blatantly. 

Jaehyun blinked, not even expecting that kind of answer. Normally, anyone else he pulled something like that on got embarrassed and spluttered over his words. Doyoung laughed. 

“Can you, erm,” Jaehyun cleared his throat, “Can you do that with Yuta too? Since you’re also conne— Bonded?” 

“Somewhat. He and I have a different bond than you and I do,” 

“What does that mean?” 

Doyoung held his composure, but now that he pointed out that Jaehyun could ‘listen to him,’ he noticed a thing or two. Jaehyun felt that little bubble of Doyoung in his chest turn bright red and almost fidgety. Was he nervous? He didn’t know how to feel about that.

“Yuta and I are Bonded in a way such that we need each other to survive. I would not be the person I am today were it not for him,” Doyoung answered as vaguely as possible. 

As soon as he focused on Doyoung, Doyoung clammed up. He felt that bubble of red clamp down and become slightly out of reach. 

“Now you’re getting it,” Doyoung smiled, “But, we do have more to discuss. Enough about this,” 

That didn’t sound like a good thing. It sounded daunting and important; two things Jaehyun much preferred to skirt around instead of face head-on, given his anxiety. 

“For one, I’ll arrange for your belongings to be brought here and I will terminate your lease for you,” 

“ _ What _ ?”

“You can’t live among humans anymore, not for a long while. I will have to teach you how to feed, of course, but the bloodlust is particularly strong for someone so young, not to mention that you are second generation, which means it will be worse for you than it is for, say, Mark,” 

“Wait, go back,” 

Doyoung plowed ahead, “And I will arrange for someone to stop by so I can train you how to properly feed. Blood bags are good and all, but you need to learn at some point or else if it gets too bad, you won’t be able to do it safely,” 

“Oh wait, fuck, what,” 

“And of course, once you start to develop your power, we’ll have to work on that as well,” Doyoung stood and started scrounging around his desk, looking a pad of paper to go with the pen he just grabbed. 

“Power?” 

“And you’ll have to meet the rest of the coven, —” 

Jaehyun stood, “Doyoung, Doyoung, you’ve gotta stop. I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. Bringing my shit here? It’s not like I don’t have my own apartment —” 

Once Doyoung stopped talking, things seemed to settle in Jaehyun’s mind. 

“— Oh holy fuck, I can’t go home,” 

Not only was it not safe for him to go back to his apartment because the windows weren’t UV treated or blacked out or whatever the hell else Doyoung had in this insane mansion, but it wasn’t safe for him anymore. It was ‘not safe’ as in he lived in a very anti-vampire neighborhood. ‘Not safe’ as in if he was found out, he would be killed and the cops would just look the other way like they had with the one or two others in the past. 

But also he was a danger to humans. It never really stuck in his mind when he was reminded that he was a vampire, but this made an impact. 

“Oh my god, I could kill someone,” the bedroom spun around him, “I could kill someone or be hunted or burn to a crisp or — fuck, I’ll never be able to eat Italian again,” 

It was ridiculous. It sounded bad coming out of his mouth. But he was less upset about the fact that he would never be able to have Italian again and more about what that  _ means _ . Everything that he had thought was normal his entire life was suddenly thrown out the window and across the goddamn ocean. 

Would he be able to see his family again? Well, actually never mind, fuck them, they weren’t a fan of his “decision” to be gay so he hadn’t actually talked to them for a few years. Since he moved back to the US, really. 

But what about Ten? Yukhei? Would he ever be safe for them to be around? How would he live without them, once they aged? They were the only things keeping him going at the moment. 

How would he get a job if he can’t be out in the sunlight? What if he needed to go grocery shopping? Would he have to move to Norway during the winter so there would be absolutely no sunlight, and, fuck like, Antartica for the summer? And oh shit, his seasonal depression was going to get so bad later in the winter. It was getting bad now, but he was at least forced to be out in the sun for a few minutes every day for the walk from his apartment to the train station. He had already called in to work more times than he should have, but now it was going to be  _ worse _ , and he wouldn’t have  _ money _ — 

“Jaehyun, look at me,” 

His breath ran ragged. Jaehyun looked up, thoughts still rambling in the back of his mind, and saw Doyoung crouched on the floor in front of him, gently holding one hand to his face. 

“Jaehyun, breathe,” 

“I can’t eat Italian,” he stammered. He didn’t mean that, he meant to say his life had just been ripped out from under him and nothing would be the same again, but those were the words that blubbered out of his mouth. 

Doyoung seemed to understand. Well, maybe not, because didn’t he say he was born a vampire? But the look in his eyes and the hand on his cheek told him he did understand. 

“You’re alright. Take a deep breath, it’s going to be ok.” Doyoung pulled him into a hug that made that bubble in his chest  _ sing _ while the tension started to leak from his body. “That was moving a little fast, wasn’t it love? Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” 

Jaehyun gulped in more shaky breaths as his rampant mind slowly stopped spinning to the worst possible outcome. 

Doyoung picked him up off the ground effortlessly and placed him on the couch before sitting next to him. He let Jaehyun lean against his shoulder and take all the time he needed. He wasn’t going anywhere. 


	4. old wives' tales and touches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol oops im a sap but so is taeyong

“You’ve got it bad, don’t you?” 

“Shut up, like you’re any better,” 

Jaehyun heard Doyoung and Johnny talking somewhere in the house once again. He had come to discover that vampires had super hearing, making a little more sense out of what he heard when he first woke up. He did also put together that, like humans, some vampire’s hearing was better than others, so that’s probably why the argument didn’t wake up Mark that morning. Surprisingly, he found he was very good at picking up whatever conversation Doyoung was having at the time, no matter where in the house he was. He guessed it was because his deep voice carried so well in the empty space of the large house. 

“It’s been two days, Do’,” 

“I know!” Doyoung whined, “I know. It’s too fast but also not fast enough,” 

“He doesn’t even know what he is yet,” Johnny pat Doyoung on the shoulder. If Jaehyun focused, lying as still in bed as possible, he could feel the weight of Johnny’s hand on Doyoung and the reassurance it gave him. They had been friends forever, and there were few Doyoung trusted more than Youngho. 

It was still weird that Jaehyun could  _ feel _ Doyoung. He took a deep breath, just to see how much he could really get from this connection. 

_ Doyoung was itchy. This wool sweater had never been one of his favorites, even though he knew it made him look good. He shifted in his seat, trying to get at a spot on his back.  _

“We’re getting there. I’ve arranged for a Donor to come by tomorrow so I can teach him how to feed,” 

_ Discomfort swirled in Doyong’s stomach. That’s not what Youngho was talking about and he knew it.  _

“That’s not what I’m talking about, Doyoung. I mean, he’s a part of this, like it or not. The Council needs to meet him at some point,” 

“And they will! But let me prepare him first! It would be no good for the first Second Gen in nearly 400 years to be untrained and — and, wild!” 

_ Panic gripped Doyoung’s guts.  _

“Better here than back in Seoul,” Youngho sighed, “I’m just saying. Mark told me that he didn’t even know what a Borne Vampyre was, let alone what that means for the coven. Or him!” 

Doyoung took a moment to answer, exhaustion in his bones. “We’ll get there. There’s only so much information I can throw at him at a time. He already panicked once today. Twice, if you count when he first woke up,” 

Johnny hummed, “Yuta wasn’t even that bad,” 

“Yuta wasn’t  _ attacked _ ,” Doyoung spat. 

_ Anger bubbled in Doyoung’s veins. His fists burned, the feeling of bone crunching and blood pouring from that vile being’s neck replaying in his mind. The satisfying gurgling of life draining from his body. He deserved it.  _

“I know,” Johnny led Doyoung back into the chair, hands heavy on his shoulders, “I know. You got a chance to get to know Yuta. Explain things to him. But I’m telling you, the longer you wait with this, the more danger he’s in,” 

Doyoung scoffed, “Nothing can get him here, he’s fine as long as we keep an eye on him,” 

“He got out, didn’t he?”

Doyoung said nothing. 

Jaehyun heaved in a heavy breath like he just surfaced from drowning. He didn’t want to hear any more of that conversation, whatever it was. His head spun, not unlike earlier today. 

There was something much bigger happening, he knew it. It charged the air like lightning, hanging above everyone’s heads. Jaehyun knew he was new to this, but he hated that he made things harder on everyone else. 

To distract himself, he tried to focus on anyone else in the house. Could he read them like he could Doyoung? He felt the small buzz of awareness he had come to associate with Yuta and, to a lesser degree, Mark, but other than that: nothing. Nothing that he could  _ feel _ , anyway. He heard the birds cawing outside, he heard Donghyuck snoring a few rooms down, Yuta and Taeyong chatting upstairs, but couldn’t feel anything other than their presence. 

It worried him, to a degree. There was something special about his and Doyoung’s Bond, something Doyoung didn’t want to say yet, but he just didn’t know enough to piece it together. It frustrated him. It certainly didn’t help that his feelings (yes, and his boner, he knew when he first met Doyoung that he was hot, we don’t need to go over that again!) keep getting in the way. He wanted to stay rational, stay objective, try and figure out if Doyoung was actually going to help him or had some other motive… But he relaxed when Doyoung was nearby. He felt warmth when he smiled, or could feel his concerned gaze when Jaehyun got confused. 

Maybe this was a vampire thing, but he felt like he had a part of Doyoung with him. And from what Doyoung explained, he felt the same. 

Another hour passed and Jaehyun still couldn’t sleep. The conversation between Doyoung and Johnny had ended a while ago, but he could still hear Yuta and Taeyong giggling a few floors up. 

What time was it, even? 12pm? Pfft, that’s nothing. Maybe he could go talk to them. He hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to Taeyong much yet, and from what he remembered before they went clubbing, he was a good guy. 

Jaehyun crept out of bed and slunk down the hall. He couldn’t even hear himself move: not the fabric of his sweatpants, not the creak of a floorboard, not a pop in his joints. Yeah, he was a little smug considering last week he couldn’t walk down the hall without tripping over his own feet. 

Listening for their conversation like a one-sided game of Marco Polo; Jaehyun eventually found his way up the stairs and to a level of the house that would just be the normal basement level. There were those tiny windows up against the ceiling, but other than that it was just as light-proofed as the floors below. Down another short hallway and to the left, Jaehyun came across a door plastered with posters half open. 

“No, Yonggie, that is a straight up lie!” 

“I saw it, I swear!” Taeyong laughed, “He does! Are you going to trust him or me, huh?” 

Jaehyun would have snuck easily into the room were it not for the LEGOs scattered around the floor. He stepped on one and hissed out a “Fuck!” unintentionally making Taeyong and Yuta jump. 

“Oh god, hi Jaehyunnie,” Taeyong greeted, “I didn’t know you were here!” 

“Sorry, I just couldn’t sleep, and thought maybe I…?” he stumbled through his words but Taeyong and Yuta cleared a space for him on the floor anyway. 

“Come on,” Taeyong pat the space next to him, “Come sit. We’re putting together this LEGO set and talking shit about Johnny,” 

Jaehyun smiled softly and sat down. He glanced shyly at Yuta, who hadn’t said anything yet, but relaxed when he grinned wide. 

“Are you getting used to things?” Yuta asked. 

“Maybe,” he shrugged, picking up a stray piece so he had something in his hand, “There’s a lot to get used to,” 

Taeyong hummed, “Well, no matter what you’re gonna end up going through, it’ll be better than when we did it. Think about it, you’ve got technology and stuff to keep you connected. When I was turned, I was confined to a mansion in the countryside for years,” 

Yuta groaned, “Yeah, and to get food you had to hike forever, uphill both ways, in the snow I bet,” 

“I did! It was awful I tell you! We hadn’t invented shoes back then!” 

Jaehyun laughed, “Can I ask? When were you turned?” 

Yuta groaned again, “Ugh, don’t, he’s almost an Elder. It’s gonna go straight to his head,” 

“An Elder?” that rang a bell. 

“I’m about 750,” Taeyong answered, “Another 50 years and I’ll be an Elder. It’s like a, uh, oh fuck what do humans have?” he snapped his fingers, looking for the word. 

“Elders can serve on the Council,” Yuta explained, “But they also become like B-list celebrities,” 

“Hey!” 

“750? What is that, the start of the Joseon period?” 

“Earlier, Goryeo,” 

“ _ Goryeo, _ wow,” Jaehyun repeated in awe. 

Yuta snickered and shoved Taeyong’s shoulder, “See? B-list,” 

“And you said you’re 400? So, what, middle of the Joseon?”

Yuta leaned back and comically put his hands behind his head, “Yeah, I saw a bit of the Joseon. Didn’t have much of a choice after sakoku,” 

Jaehyun blinked. What the fuck was that? He didn’t remember anything in his history classes about that. 

Yuta saw that his joke fell short and sat back up. “I’m from Tokugawa Japan, dude. Not Korea,” 

“Oh, fuck, right, I knew that, sorry,” he blushed but Taeyong laughed. 

“Ignore him, he’s just old and grouchy,” 

Yuta threw a LEGO at Taeyong, hitting him in the chest. “Right, like you’re not older than me,” 

“So Taeyong,” Jaehyun asked once they settled down and started building whatever kit Yuta had, “Do you and Johnny live here too? Or is it just Doyoung’s… kids?” 

“I mean, Johnny and I technically have our own place, but this house is just way better. And closer. Our house in Cali is sometimes a little too far if we wanna crash for the day. Why?” 

“Just wondering if you have to deal with Donghyuck snoring, too,” he laughed, “And I can’t imagine having to listen to Johnny and Doyoung arguing all the time,” 

Did he say something wrong? Yuta and Taeyong stopped in their tracks and stared at him. 

“What?” 

“You can hear them?” Yuta asked. 

“Yeah? They’re not exactly quiet,” 

Taeyong leaned forward excitedly, “Like, right now?” 

Jaehyun took a moment to think about Doyoung again. It didn’t come quickly, it started with an awareness of that awful wool sweater once again, though this time scratching just under his ribcage, then faded into view like he stepped through a fog. 

_ “... have to make a new order soon, with two newborns in the house and three under 300?”  _

_ “Didn’t you tell me you’re hiring a Donor for tomorrow? Who is it, Taeil?”  _

_ “Yeah, but he’s going to go off with Sicheng as soon as we’re done. The two of them are very attached,”  _

Jaehyun scrunched his eyes closed then blinked them open, focusing on Taeyong and Yuta again. “They’re talking about a Donor? Taeil?” 

Yuta looked contemplative, but Taeyong immediately grabbed his shoulders and shook him back and forth. Jaehyun swears his eyes literally turned into hearts to accompany the dopey smile on his face. 

“Ah! That’s amazing! I never thought I’d see one!” 

“What, a Donor?” Jaehyun was still being shaken back and forth. 

“No, a True Soul Bond! I’m so happy for you two!” he squealed. 

Yuta tackled Taeyong to the floor to get him to stop shaking Jaehyun. “Leave the baby alone! He doesn’t even know what that means!” 

“I know what a Soul Bond is, you explained earlier!” Jaehyun argued. 

“No, a  _ True _ Soul Bond! Ugh, I’ve heard about them for  _ years _ , it’s the most romantic thing in the world!” Taeyong only paused to take a break before charging forward again before he could be cut off, “A Soul Bond is someone you can’t live without, blah blah blah, they’re not common but they’re not rare either. But  _ you! _ You and Doyoungie  _ complete _ each other! You were made for each other! Instead of just being someone you can’t live without, you two are literally each other’s missing piece!” 

“Taeyong!” Yuta snapped. Taeyong paid him no mind. 

“What does that mean?” 

“You’re soulmates, Jaehyunnie!” he shimmied back and forth excitedly. 

“Taeyong!” Yuta snapped again, “He didn’t want to tell him!” 

Taeyong slowly stopped vibrating in his place. “What? What do you mean, why not?” 

Yuta rubbed his face and sighed. “Well, I guess you can explain now that he already knows, but Doyoung wanted to wait before telling him,” 

“Oh,” Taeyong thought for a moment then shrugged, “I’ll deal with Doyoungie. Whatever. Anyway!” 

“Oh, don’t start the story again,” 

“I’m starting the story again!” he sang. Taeyong adopted a dramatic storytelling voice and looked off in the distance. 

“Once upon a time, Vampyres were whole. We lived among humans peacefully, feeding off of the energy of those around us instead of the blood of the living. No one posed a threat to one another, and times were good. 

But then, an evil human discovered that Vampyres had the power to heal. He also discovered that humans, when desperate enough, would do anything to save one of their own. He could make a profit off their desperation. So instead of sending willing Vampyres to help those who needed it, he kidnapped us and drained us of our venom, selling that to the highest bidder. He killed dozens before he was discovered. 

The Head Vampyre, Dracula —” 

“Dracula? Like, the book?” Jaehyun interrupted. 

“Yes, Dracula! Now shut up, I’m telling a story!” Taeyong snapped, “Lord Dracula, the Head of the Vampyres. He was the First and his venom is what give us all the strength and power we have today. But he had enough. He never wanted one of his Children to endure the pain of being drained of their life force again, and he knew that we had this power so long as we were whole. 

So, using himself as a sacrifice, he split all the Vampyres in the world apart! Our souls shattered and we were spread across the land, drifting, waiting until it was our time. That was the only way to ensure that we would never be harvested again, but it came at a great cost.” 

Taeyong hung his head. Jaehyun was on the edge of his seat. Shut up, he loved a good story, ok? He ignored Yuta yawning off to the side and listened. 

“The sun is a creature of light and good. And although this was done out of love, it is still an unspeakable crime to split a soul, let alone the souls of an entire species. We were banished from the realm of light because of the crimes we were then forced to commit to live. Now instead of healing and feeding off the positive energy of those we care about, we are forced to wander the night, draining people in order to survive. Our only solace is the knowledge that somewhere out there, if we live long enough to find them, we may be able to regain the entirety of our souls once more. 

It’s said that if you can gather a coven that completes your souls, you will each regain the powers we once had. And if you find your True Soul Bond, the rest will come to you since you’re so nearly complete, you will act as a beacon for the rest of your wandering parts,” 

Taeyong finished dramatically, hand on his heart, voice fading off into the morning. 

Yuta snorted. “Yeah, if you believe that stuff.  _ Or, _ ” he took a breath and Taeyong rolled his eyes but let him continue, “Soul Bonds are a fail-safe written into our DNA. After the Civil War, we took such a hit in our numbers that we had to make sure we wouldn’t do that again. We are kinda magic, after all. Not like fairies, they’re a whole other type of magic, but we have Soul Bonds to keep us from killing ourselves off. Because why would you kill your enemy if they could be bonded to you too? I don’t think an enemy is worth killing yourself for,” 

Jaehyun sat in silence for a moment, thinking. He let Taeyong and Yuta go back to bickering about which was true, the romantic story or the product of genocide, and thought about Doyoung. 

_ Finally, he and Johnny were done talking. He rushed into the bedroom and took off that absurd wool sweater. Remind him to burn it.  _

Jaehyun hummed, smiling softly. So they were soulmates, like he thought earlier? No wonder Doyoung was in a rush to dispel that. It was a big truth, and if he had been told earlier when everything else was so new too, that surely would have freaked him out more. 

But this didn’t make him panic. He liked it, actually. He liked the comfort Doyoung gave him, even though they were still practically strangers. Maybe that was another reason he didn’t say anything: he wanted Jaehyun to like him without that pressure. That was sweet. 

He felt Doyoung reach out to him this time, then pull back in surprise when he noticed Jaehyun was already there. He flushed with embarrassment and Jaehyun smiled wider. 

He stood, “Thanks for the story, guys, I think I’m gonna go to bed,” 

“See you, Jaehyunnie!” Taeyong smiled. While he was distracted, Yuta took the time to throw another LEGO piece at him. It landed on his chest and slid down his loose shirt. Yuta cheered. 

Jaehyun slipped from the room and headed up another flight of stairs into the massive lobby he saw earlier today. He crossed the room and headed up those stairs, smiling and nodding silently to Johnny in the kitchen as he passed. Johnny grinned back and said nothing. 

“Doyoung?” he knocked at the door and opened it a sliver. 

“Come in,” Doyoung’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat. He sat alone on the massive bed, phone in hand and glasses sliding down his nose. 

“I, uh, couldn’t sleep,” he explained weakly. Doyoung wouldn’t believe that for a minute. 

“Is that so?” he asked instead, setting his phone down, “It’s been a long day, hasn’t it?” 

Jaehyun wished he were in his oversized hoodie instead of this t-shirt so the fabric could swallow him whole. “Can I…?” 

“Of course,” Doyoung didn’t even need to hear the last bit of the question. He scooched more toward the middle of the bed and folded a corner of the blankets back. Jaehyun bashfully tip-toed to the bed, hesitating for a moment before crawling in with him. 

“I talked with Taeyong and Yuta,” he started. They were very specifically not touching each other, several inches between their hands on the bed though they both reached for the middle. 

“I heard,” Doyoung smiled, “They’re not quiet,” 

“No, they’re not,” he laughed, “I, uh, heard a story from Taeyong,” 

Doyoung groaned. “I’m so sorry he made you sit through that,” 

“Is it true?” 

Anxiety sloshed up against the sides of his stomach, meaning Doyoung felt it even worse. “Depends. What part are you asking about?” 

Jaehyun didn’t really care about the fairy tale. He would have plenty of time to learn the science or historical basis behind the legend. 

“We’re True Soul Bonds,” he announced instead. 

Doyoung held his breath. “Yes,” he whispered after a minute, “Yes, we are. I didn’t tell you because —”

“— Because you wanted me to like you first?” 

Doyoung laughed nervously. “You read my mind,” 

“That seems like something we can do now,” he joked back. 

They sat in silence for ages. It was a comfortable silence, one that didn’t need to be broken. 

“Let me take you to dinner?” Doyoung asked suddenly, “I mean, after you’ll be ok in public, I know it gets overwhelming, and you’ve got elevated senses now, and —” 

“Yes,” Jaehyun interrupted, “I would love to,” 

Doyoung looked at him instead of staring forward like they had been. “Can I kiss you?” 

Jaehyun didn’t answer with his words. Instead, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Doyoung’s, holding his breath. It took a moment, but Doyoung melted against his skin. 

Jaehyun had plenty of first kisses in his life, but this one was different. This one lit a fire in his belly, warm and soft. Safe. He felt Doyoung’s anxiety slide away alongside his own, to be quickly replaced with two cans on a string, straight from one heart to another. He hadn’t felt this happy with someone… Ever. 

Jaehyun pulled up first, licking his lips and gasping for breath. 

Doyoung looked at him like he pulled a star from the sky. 

“Shall we go to bed, my love?” he asked, opening his arms for Jaehyun to lay with him. 

They snuggled into bed, Jaehyun floating on cloud nine. 

“Wait, you called me love earlier today! And mate, I think, in your thoughts?” 

Doyoung laughed, “I did. There’s more where that came from, if you’ll let me,” 

“Of course,” he tucked his head unto Doyoung’s shoulder and reveled in the happiness flowing back and forth between them. 


	5. rubbing alcohol and rules

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok here's notes i've been meaning to add for like two chapters now and never got around to it! 
> 
> yes, the title is from hozier's in a week! shoutout to rainyseason for guessing it right (even though i didn't plan a contest), uhhh, you win my love? <3 
> 
> 2) i know i've said they live in the us and then i thought "huh is it weird for ONLY kpop idols to live in whatever city they're in?" so we're gonna pretend this is San Fransokyo or whatever from Big Hero 6, but... get ready... Chicageoul xD
> 
> c) would anyone be interested in a Yukhei/Jungwoo spinoff?? maybe just a small thing, but you'll see why when we get through this chapter <3 
> 
> as always, thanks to lost_inthe_dream for beta'ing

“I’m gonna be sick,” 

“It’s ok, I felt the same. Hey, at least you were able to get over your bloodlust pretty fast since we have plenty of blood packs, we didn’t have them as easily when I was turned,” Mark smacked him on the shoulder and wandered upstairs. 

Since Mark wouldn’t pity him like he wanted, Jaehyun turned to Taeyong. 

“Oh no, don’t you dare,” Taeyong pointed a finger at him, “You know I’m vegan for a reason. Don’t you complain to me about this,” 

“Taeyong,” he whined. 

“I’m not your sire! You have to go to Doyoung for this, he’s the one training you!” Taeyong ran upstairs too, hot on Mark’s heels. 

Jaehyun slumped in a chair by the bar. He had a lovely day so far! He woke up snuggled into Doyoung, had some coffee, chatted with Mark and Donghyuck… Then Doyoung reminded him the Donor was coming by today so he could learn how to feed from a human without hurting them. The thought made him sick. 

“Jaehyun!” Yuta called, “Taeil’s here!” 

Oh yeah, and not to mention Taeil was one of his coworkers last year. He loved Taeil, he really did, but like… What an awkward way to meet again. 

Jaehyun heard Taeil walk in the front door. “Hey, guys!” he called. 

“Taeil!” Mark shouted back. Jaehyun made his way up the stairs. 

“Guys, I know you’re vampires, but I still need some light to see,” he laughed, fumbling with his jacket. 

“Oh, sorry!” Mark flicked on some lights. Jaehyun completely forgot about that since he had gotten so used to seeing in the dark. He squinted for a second before his eyes adjusted. 

“So, I was told you’ve got a baby? Who is it, do I know him?” Taeil beamed his shining smile like he always did, clearly very comfortable in the vampires’ den. He looked better than he had last time, Jaehyun noted. A little more plump in the face, a little bit more definition in his arms. He was definitely more confident as well, something that made Jaehyun smile to see. He waved at Mark on the couch, waved at Yuta in the kitchen, and finally turned to see Jaehyun coming up the stairs. “Oh, wow, hey Jae, didn’t expect to see you here,” 

“Uh, hey, Taeil, how have you been? I haven’t seen you since last year,” 

“Yeah! Remember that ‘better opportunity’ I said I got last year?” 

“Yeah, is this it?” 

“It sure is.” Taeil gestured to the vampires slowly gathering in the foyer, “Yeah, I call this better than being a cashier in a rundown bookstore,” 

“You’re right. Good to see you, man,” he stepped forward to clap Taeil on the shoulder in greeting but stopped when a wall of scent punched him in the face. He stopped dead. Jaehyun felt fangs drop from his gums, pricking his tongue and lip, and he smacked a hand to his mouth to stop it. Or cover it at least. 

“Hey Taeil?” Doyoung came down the stairs rather quickly, “Why don’t you go ahead and get ready. Yes, this is Jaehyun, our new baby. I told you we’d be teaching him how to feed today? That’s ok, right?” 

“Yeah, of course,” Taeil began to roll up one of his sleeves, “You’ll be in there with us?” 

“Absolutely,” 

Taeil beamed again, “Then no problem! I trust you. Winwinnie, I brought a movie, thought you might like to watch it with me after?” 

Sicheng blushed, trying to make himself small on the other side of the couch from Mark. “Uh, sure, if you’re up for it,” 

“It’s a date,” Taeil smiled, not quite winking but the thought was there, as he disappeared into one of the rooms down the hall. 

Mark leaned over and smacked Sicheng’s arm. “Bro!” 

“Shut up!” Sicheng turned even redder and dashed down the stairs. 

Doyoung appeared at Jaehyun’s side in a second. Jaehyun snapped out of it, looked Doyoung in the eye, and announced, “I really am going to be sick,” 

“No you’re not. There’s a reason I called Taeil in today, he’s the best. One or two of our others tense up and make things a little more nerve-wracking if you’re nervous, but Taeil’s always really good about things,” 

Jaehyun glared at Doyoung but followed him down the hall on the other end of the lobby, not daring to take a step in front of him even though the hallway was more than wide enough. “I don’t care about him! I mean I do, but I’m not worried about him in this! What if I hurt him? I wanted to eat him the second I got close enough!” 

Doyoung grinned, something that told Jaehyun he was enjoying this a little too much, “You won’t. That’s why I’m here. You think I won’t be able to stop you?” 

They stopped just outside the room Taeil was in. Jaehyun could hear him humming some song to himself. 

“Remember when you woke up, the second time though?” Doyoung reminded him. Jaehyun nodded. Doyoung held him by the throat when he tried to lunge for him. “Except this time, you trust me, right?” 

He nodded again. Doyoung pressed a kiss to his forehead and went in the room. 

The overpowering scent of rubbing alcohol drowned out any smell of blood that could have been in this room. Taeil looked up when the door opened, smiled, and threw out the cotton pads he was holding. 

“I’m not sure what you wanted, Doyoung, so I prepped my wrist and elbow, just in case,” 

“Perfect, thanks Taeil. Now, I want to check one more time, you sure you’re alright with this? I can still pay you if you choose to back out now. This one is more dangerous than normal,” 

“Nah, I know Jaehyun, he couldn’t hurt a fly. And besides, you still have your power, right? It didn’t go away?” when Doyoung didn’t answer and rolled his eyes instead, Taeil continued, “Then we’ll be fine. And actually, I’m kinda excited to see how you train someone to do this. I’ve only ever given to your coven, and you’re all super good at it. Ready?” 

“I hope you’ve only ever given to my coven,” Doyoung joked, “You signed a contract,”

Taeil laid down on the chaise lounge chair, arm outstretched and propped up on a padded table at the perfect height. His wrist dangled just off the edge, hand hanging limp and relaxed. Jaehyun felt his eyes focus in on the exposed arteries, pulsing with blood. He heard Taeil’s heartbeat ring through his head, drawing him closer with every beat. 

“Jaehyun,” Doyoung warned as he got closer and closer. Jaehyun stopped and took a deep breath, hoping to get more of that rubbing alcohol scent in his nose to clear his mind. 

“Ok,” 

Taeil watched them silently. 

Doyoung pulled up a chair next to the small table Taeil’s arm rested on and gestured that he should sit in it. Jaehyun did so, white-knuckling the arms so he wouldn’t lunge for Taeil. 

“I want you to relax your jaw. Let your fangs come out how they want. Don’t push them, you’ll be able to flex them later, but just let them go at their own pace,” 

Jaehyun stopped clenching his teeth and held his mouth open, just like how girls did when they put on mascara. He jumped when he felt his new fangs slide down past the rest of his teeth, resting on his top lip. They didn’t come down any further even when he opened his mouth wider, so that must have been enough. Drool collected at the tip of one. 

“Good. Now, can you feel what’s dripping down one of your fangs? Lick that,” 

He flicked out his tongue and scrunched up his face. He expected drool, not whatever this liquified-sour-patch-kid taste was. 

“That’s your venom. When we start, you’re going to want to let that sink in to the skin for a moment so Taeil won’t feel any pain,” 

Doyoung said the meal’s name again, jolting Jaehyun back into remembering this was a person. His  _ friend _ . Not a meal. He took a shaky breath. 

Doyoung squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. “How I like to do it is collect some on my tongue and lick where I’m going to bite, but you can decide what works best for you. You’ll figure it out. But now we need to decide where to bite,” 

“Doyoung, I can’t do this,” Jaehyun whimpered. 

“I’m sorry, Jae, but you have to,” 

“Am I going to turn him?” he looked up at Doyoung with big, pleading eyes. 

“No, I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. And besides, turning is a very difficult process. You can’t do it on accident,” 

That made him feel better. He took a deep breath. “Ok, where,” 

“Where would you prefer, Taeil?” 

“Doesn’t matter to me. I ate before I got here and I’ll be with Sicheng after, remember, so I’m ok,” he shrugged, too calm about all this. 

“Wrist it is. That’s easiest for a casual setting, anyway,” 

“There’s different formalities of bites?” Jaehyun’s head spun even more, if that were possible. 

“Yes, we’ll get to those later. Now, I need you to pick up his wrist and take a look at it. Yes, you have to let go of the chair,” 

With shaking hands, Jaehyun slowly let go of the chair and reached out to touch Taeil’s arm. His fingers brushed against his skin and he jumped backwards, clutching his hands to his chest. “He’s hot!” 

Taeil laughed, “No, Jae, you’re cold! Ugh, should’ve told you to warm up your hands before doing this,” 

“Sorry!” Doyoung smiled, “I completely forgot about that!” 

“Nah, you’re fine, it’ll be like an ice pack,” 

Jaehyun shook his head and his hands. “You’re way too comfortable with this. This is freaky,” 

“Hey, I get paid the big bucks. Thousand per session  _ and _ seven, no, eight personal trainers and nutritionists? Sounds pretty good to me,” 

Jaehyun sat there, horrified, while Doyoung and Taeil laughed lightly. “Still,” he protested weakly. The smell of alcohol was starting to fade away, the scent of blood taking over. 

“Ok, Jae, here, hold onto his arm where I am, right here and here. See that raised part? Try to bite there,” Doyoung held up Taeil’s wrist from the opposite side. Jaehyun copied the position carefully, still shaking but slowly becoming more enticed. 

“You’re going to numb the area first, remember what I said about that, and then let your fangs sink in. Like… Like biting a grape. You’re not going to bite it in half, just poke a sharp tooth in on one side,” Doyoung removed his own hands from Taeil’s wrist and let Jaehyun hold him on his own. 

Jaehyun leaned in, so slow he almost convinced himself he wasn’t moving, before he felt his lips brush against Taeil’s wrist. His breath caught in his chest but he swallowed hard. 

Doyoung kept talking, giving him gentle instructions. Jaehyun couldn’t quite hear what he was saying at this point, but his deep voice washed over him, giving him something to focus on instead of the bloodlust swimming behind his eyes. 

He collected venom on his tongue, just like Doyoung said, and licked Taeil’s wrist liberally. It felt disgusting and way too intimate for a past coworker, but Taeil didn’t move. 

His fangs popped through the skin effortlessly. Blood welled around his teeth and into his mouth. He didn’t even have a second to be surprised before his vision turned as red as the blood itself and he latched on with his lips, sucking hard. 

“Whoa, little fast there,” Taeil said. 

“Slow down,” Doyoung told him. Jaehyun didn’t listen. He had blood, he had a willing giver, this was all that mattered. He felt his pulse beneath his skin, moved with it, and let it rush through his own body. 

“ _ Jaehyun _ ,” Doyoung said in his special voice. It cut through the red mist and brought Jaehyun back to himself. 

“There you go, better. Now take your fangs out and drink slowly. Let it flow more than anything. If you suck it out, you might hurt Taeil,” 

Jaehyun remembered Taeil once again. He wasn’t a meal. God, this hurt his head. 

Slowly, he pulled his fangs out of Taeil’s wrist and just lapped at the blood rushing to the surface. This was so much better than drinking from Doyoung; Taeil had a pulse and the blood was warm and rich without the lingering taste of venom in his system. His fangs hid back inside his mouth, knowing they weren’t needed. 

He longed to sink his teeth in and  _ take _ , but he couldn’t let himself. Past the smell of blood, he smelled that purely Taeil scent, reminding him this was someone he knew. He also smelled Sicheng all over him, which no offense Sicheng, was a little gross. 

He drank slowly, letting it come out at its own pace. 

“Good,” Doyoung praised, “Try sucking a little harder, but not too much. Slowly. How are you doing, Taeil?” 

Jaehyun didn’t hear his answer. He wrapped his lips around the wound and sucked.

_ Bite. Take. Drink. Eat.  _ his thoughts raced. Jaehyun opened his mouth wider, fangs rushing to the surface. He sunk them into the wrist again and sucked hard. 

“Jaehyun!  _ Jaehyun! _ ” Doyoung called.

Jaehyun growled in the back of his throat. He wouldn’t take this meal from him. 

An excruciating force grabbed his shoulder, crushing until he felt like his collarbone was about to snap. He groaned in pain and let go, grabbing his shoulder and clasping his hand over Doyoung’s. 

The second he no longer had the wrist in his mouth, the bloodlust cleared once again. “Oh, fuck,” he whispered, looking at the blood running from Taeil’s wrist. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and almost retched when blood smeared along it. 

Doyoung let go of him slowly. Watching. 

“Lick that up,” he demanded. This wasn’t his ordering voice, so Jaehyun could say no, but this was clearly something Doyoung expected him to do. 

He lowered himself to Taeil’s wrist once again, delicately lapping up the mess he made. 

“Good. Now, use your venom once more. That will clean and heal the wound,” 

Jaehyun swallowed and ran his tongue around his teeth, trying to clear any remaining blood out. He let some venom gather on his fangs, thankfully still up near his teeth, and for one final time, leaned in to lick Taeil’s wrist. 

Taeil sighed and relaxed the fist he made with his hand. Jaehyun hadn’t even noticed. He pulled away and watched the human’s skin stitch back together before his eyes. Soon, it left only two silver pinpricks, then nothing at all. 

Jaehyun slumped against the back of the chair, head reeling. He felt his heart beat in his chest. Did he? He felt  _ something _ . 

He felt  _ alive _ . 

“Good job, Jaehyun,” Doyoung praised. 

He didn’t move as he watched Doyoung clean up any stray blood on Taeil’s arm then slowly help him into a sitting position. 

Taeil smiled at him, albeit weaker this time. “You look worse than I do,” 

“Are you ok?” he mumbled. 

“I’m fine. You took a little more than I’m used to, but that just means I get to sucker Sicheng into letting me nap on him,” he snorted, “Get it? Sucker? Ha!” 

“It’s 8pm, you could stay the night,” Doyoung offered. 

“Hm, I could. Or I could see how long Sicheng lets me sleep before admitting his arm went numb and then stay anyway,” he giggled. This was obviously a nefarious plot on his part. “Jaehyun, your venom is  _ strong _ ! I didn’t feel a thing, and normally I at least feel the bite if not the like…” he thought for a second and made a slurping noise, looking for that word. 

“Suction?” Doyoung supplied. 

“Yeah! Normally I feel that,”

“Venom can become something like a drug to humans when they get a little too much,” Doyoung hummed, entertained, “Taeil? Want me to go get Sicheng?” 

“Yes please,” 

Doyoung stepped to the door then disappeared in the blink of an eye, reappearing with Sicheng a moment later. 

“I brought  _ Twilight,” _ Taeil giggled. 

Sicheng smiled and scooped him into his arms. “I hate you,” he said with no bite to his words. 

“Nah, you don’t,” They disappeared a moment later, leaving Jaehyun and Doyoung alone. 

“I’m terrible,” Jaehyun announced, shoving his face in his hands. 

Doyoung pulled him to the chaise Taeil had been on a moment ago. “No you’re not, you actually did really well,” 

He looked up at Doyoung. “Really?” 

“Yeah. That was actually very impressive that I only had to use my voice once or twice. You should have seen Taeyong,” 

Jaehyun groaned, “Is that why he’s vegan?” 

“No, that’s a long story. But remember, he was turned  _ years _ ago. We didn’t have blood packs, so anything he ate either came from Johnny or a human directly. We’re at least able to get your appetite down to a manageable level now before introducing you to humans again,” 

“Thank  _ god _ ,” Jaehyun sighed. 

“How do you feel?” 

That was a good question. He was exhausted. He felt like he just watched  _ Titanic _ and bawled his eyes out. But he also felt life thrumming under his skin and he heard every creak in the house, every footstep. He could see every pore on Doyoung’s face, the smallest chip in the paint near the ceiling. He smelled the blood particles hanging in the air, the rubbing alcohol, and the leather of the chaise was fake. It had been cleaned with some chemical cleaner this morning — or, wait, early evening. 

“I either want to eat a pint of ice cream and go to bed or run to California and back,” 

“Well, the only ice cream we have in right now is either Yuta’s or Jungwoo’s, but we do have a gym?” 

Jaehyun flopped against Doyoung’s shoulder. “Ew, no, never say those words to me again,” 

“What, ‘we don’t have ice cream’?” 

“Well, that and the word ‘gym.’ Disgusting, terrible word,” 

Doyoung laughed and tipped Jaehyun’s head up, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He responded easily, melting even more than he had been. 

“I think Mark and Donghyuck are playing some game in the living room, wanna go play with them?” 

“What game is it?” Jaehyun snuggled into Doyoung’s arm. Was it a thing that he felt a little drunk after feeding? 

“Yes, it’s called a ‘bloodrush,’ and it happens when you get more blood or fresher blood than you’re used to,” Doyoung answered his thoughts, “And as for the game, I have no idea. I can’t tell any of them apart,” 

“You’re old,” Jaehyun laughed. 

“Hey! I know how to use a phone, I think I’m doing pretty good!” 

Jaehyun laughed and followed his… Sire? Boyfriend? Soulmate? Whoa, that felt too big. 

Doyoung stopped and turned to face him. 

“Can I call you my boyfriend? Jaehyun asked quietly. 

“Well I haven’t bought you dinner yet, but if you want you can,” he wrapped his arms around Jaehyun’s waist. Jaehyun laughed a little to see that he was the (slightly) taller of the two; that might win him an argument here and there. 

Jaehyun pressed another kiss to his lips. “Sounds good to me,” 

“JAEHYUN!” 

The sound of the front door opening and slamming shut made the house shake. 

“Yukhei?” Jaehyun turned away from Doyoung and headed to the foyer. 

“JUNG YOONOH GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!” Ten’s voice echoed through the hallway. 

“Oh no,” he groaned. 

Another voice came after that Jaehyun didn’t quite recognize, “I’m sorry! They made me!” 

Jaehyun and Doyoung entered the lobby in time to see Ten kick his shoes off to the side and stomp around the living room, heading for the stairs. 

“Ten?” he called. 

Ten spun and visibly sighed in relief. Then, once assured Jaehyun was alive, turned back into the fuming ball of anger. He stormed over to Jaehyun and started punching him in the arm. 

“What happened to texting me every hour, huh? I told you we’d come bust you out if you didn’t!” 

“Ow, ow, ow, ow,” Jaehyun replied automatically to each punch although it didn’t hurt whatsoever. He glanced around and saw Yuta, Mark, and Donghyuck on one couch, Taeyong on the other, and Johnny walked in from some part of the house Jaehyun hadn’t explored yet. Great, there was a full audience for when Ten beat him up for making him worry. 

Ten switched to smacking him in the chest instead of punching him, “You get attacked, I don’t hear from you in two days, and then I get a call saying you’re alive? What’s a mother to  _ DO _ ?” 

“You’re not my mom, Ten,” he smiled softly. 

“Yes I am!” Ten gave him one final smack before turning to Doyoung. “And  _ you _ ,” 

Mark tried to leap up out of his spot to protect Doyoung, shouting a ‘whoa!’, but Yuta stuck out his arm and slowly lowered him back into the couch. 

“Hush, I wanna see this,” he didn’t tear his eyes away from the showdown. 

“He’s an Elder! You can’t talk to him like that!” Mark hissed. 

Donghyuck laughed when Yuta replied “Yeah, but I wanna see this,” 

Meanwhile, Ten glowered at Doyoung. “My baby gets attacked on  _ your watch, _ ” he prodded him in the chest, “You drag him to  _ your house _ ,  _ turn him? _ And then don’t give me updates?” 

Doyoung held up his hands in surrender. “Yes, I know, I’m truly sorry, Ten, but I had to, he would have died,” 

Ten knew this and didn’t argue, but Jaehyun knew he was still angry. The balled up fists at his sides gave that away to the untrained eye as well. “AAAAAAHHHHHH!” he screamed, thumping his fists against Doyoung’s chest for a minute. 

He took a deep breath and stopped pummeling Doyoung. 

“You better?” Jaehyun said, stepping closer to his best friend. 

“Yeah,” Ten sighed, leaning into Jaehyun for a hug. Jaehyun wrapped him in his arms like normal, but still blinked when he noticed how warm Ten was now. He did also smell the sickeningly sweet blood thrumming under his skin, but the thought of biting Ten or Yukhei made him even more sick than the thought of biting Taeil. 

“So this is Ten and Yukhei… Where’s Yukhei?” Jaehyun introduced but looked around when he didn’t see Yukhei on one of the couches. He led Ten over to Taeyong and set him on the couch. 

“‘Ere,” he answered from the kitchen, sounding like he had a mouthful of food already. Jaehyun sighed and turned to see that yes, he did have a mouthful of food. 

“Dude, I don’t know how old that pizza is,” he sighed, sitting on the couch next to them. 

“By the way,” Ten started again, “Can someone take Jungwoo now? I did  _ not _ agree to trade Jaehyun for him,” 

“Is that where he’s been?” Johnny piped up, leaning against the back of the couch behind Taeyong. 

Jungwoo popped up from behind the counter next to Yukhei, blood pack with a straw sticking out of it in hand. “Yeah, duh. My mate panicked because his best friend was attacked. What was I going to do? Leave him?” 

“What? Mate?” Jaehyun sat bolt upright at those words, but Ten just sighed. 

“Yeah, I’ve also been dealing with this for a week too,” 

Jaehyun saw Taeyong sit up next to him as well, hearts in his eyes once again. Yuta fake-gagged on the other couch. 

Doyoung walked to stand in front of the (expensive curved) TV, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Can someone get Sicheng and Taeil up here too? We need to talk over a few things,” 

Donghyuck disappeared. They heard him shout “HOUSE MEETING” somewhere in the basement levels, then he reappeared a second later. Sicheng and Taeil followed, walking at a normal human pace behind him. They all gathered on the couches and bean bags scattered around the floor, watching Doyoung with varying degrees of concern. 

“Well, it looks like our coven is growing, Johnny,” he began. 

“Well,” Johnny started, “Only kinda. Jungwoo hasn’t officially registered with us,” 

Doyoung stared at Jungwoo. “Still? You haven’t? You’ve been with us for at  _ least _ ten years!” 

Jungwoo pulled a face, “I haven’t even legally separated from my blood coven! I need to do that first,” 

Doyoung and Johnny facepalmed in perfect sync. “You have to do that before the next Council meeting. It’s been pushed ahead of schedule because of this whole… Situation. If they find out there’s not one but  _ two _ newly discovered True Soul Bonds, they’re going to make the argument that you have to leave so we aren’t one unit,” 

“I’m not leaving!” Donghyuck interrupted. 

“I  _ know _ ,  _ no one’s _ leaving,” Doyoung repeated slowly, “But since I’m on the Council, we have to do things by the rules,” 

Jaehyun leaned over to Taeyong and whispered, “What’s happening?” 

Ten leaned over to him and answered instead, “Essentially they need Jungwoo’s adoption paperwork done,” 

Jaehyun gave him a look. How did he know that? Jaehyun was the one who was a vampire now, not Ten, and he didn’t even know that. 

“This is what I’m talking about when I say I’ve heard it all, all week,” he sighed. 

Doyoung continued, “But also it looks like we’ve adopted some humans, too. Jungwoo, I’m also going to have to talk to you and Yukhei, privately. But new house rule! Everyone needs to eat more often, I don’t care if it’s blood packs or booking more sessions with Donors, hell even take some of Taeyong’s pills, but I  _ cannot _ have anyone losing control in this house. Understood?” 

“Understood,” they all mumbled in response when it became obvious Doyoung wouldn’t keep going until he got verbal confirmation. 

“I’ll up our order pf packs, any thoughts on hiring a new Donor to join us? I don’t want to add too much to Taeil, Renjun, or Jaemin, and Kun’s part time as it is. Three and a half is a little slim for eight of us now,” 

Jungwoo opened his mouth but Doyoung pointed a finger at him, “You better not have fed from Yukhei yet, and if you have, I don’t wanna hear about it until we talk. You cannot feed only off of Yukhei and that’s final,” 

Jungwoo deflated and went back to the last of his blood pack, sinking in the beanbag. 

Ten raised his hand, “I volunteer for Johnn—” 

“Don’t you dare,” Doyoung interrupted. Ten pouted and put his hand back down. 

“As for our new human guests, I’m going to have to ask you to carry something silver on you at all times. I’ll be telling our other Donors about this too, but you need something to protect yourself or at least snap someone out of it, since Johnny and I can’t be everywhere at once. I know, I know,” he put up his hands at the groans and protests from his coven, “We’re all very in control of ourselves, but I can’t take any chances,” 

Ten murmured to himself and Taeyong, “Permission to smack Jaehyun in the face with my silver rings when he doesn’t text me back?” 

Taeyong giggled but Doyoung smirked and pointed to him without looking, “Granted,” 

Ten looked surprised that Doyoung heard him but laughed as well. 

“Hey!” Jaehyun tried to lean over to smack Ten but Taeyong blocked him. 

“Ok, anything else? Johnny?” Doyoung started to wrap up now that the mood had been lifted. 

Johnny shook his head, “I don’t think so. Come to us as soon as you have a problem. I’m serious, the  _ second  _ something starts to go wrong, let us know. We can’t help if we don’t know,” 

“Any other questions?” 

“So, uh,” Yukhei raised his hand, “What are you gonna do with all of Jaehyun’s shit?” 

“I’m moving it here,” Doyoung replied simply, as if that answered everything. 

“How?” Ten piped up, “Are you going there? Or hiring someone?” 

“I was going to just have us do it, we can do it faster anyway, why?” 

Jaehyun sighed and rubbed his temple, “My apartment’s bad. Like  _ really  _ bad,” 

Donghyuck snorted, “Dude, we don’t care about a mess,” 

“No, like anti-vampire bad,” 

Ten hushed him, “Jae got a deal on rent because he knew the landlord, so like it’s an actually livable cost, but like. Dude,” 

“I know, I know! Ugh, I never thought it’d be an issue, I didn’t know any vampires when I moved in,” 

“Wait but like actually, what’s wrong with it?” Taeyong asked. 

Ten dramatically cleared his throat and began counting on his fingers, “Front entryway’s lined with silver,” 

The vampires winced, minus Doyoung and Johnny, and Yukhei continued, “There’s a blanket revocation of consent statement in the lease,” 

“Rumour has it dead man’s blood was used as a stain for the wood on the doors?” 

“Constant  _ overpowering _ smell of garlic! We only had Italian night at Jaehyun’s,” 

“Crucifix above every door,” 

Jaehyun interrupted, “Ok, ok, I get it. My place was shit, but I could afford it, ok? It was $400 a month for a one-bedroom,” 

The younger vampires who had a sense of how expensive rent in the city was whistled in awe. Jungwoo shrugged, “I mean, I guess I would too,” 

“Ok, fine, we’ll hire human movers. And I’ll settle the lease, that won’t be an issue,” 

They kept discussing similar topics, but Jaehyun stopped paying attention. He could still feel the rush of blood in his veins and now the exhaustion from earlier had worn off. He was antsy and  _ needed  _ to move. Jaehyun quietly got up from the couch, heading to the kitchen just to stretch his legs and maybe get a glass of water. No one even blinked as he slipped past, so he didn’t pay it any mind. 

He gulped down a glass of water like he was parched, only half listening to the house meeting continue. 

“Wait, where’s Jaehyun?” Doyoung asked after a few minutes. 

“I’m right here,” he answered, setting his glass down on the counter. 

“I don’t know, he was here a second ago,” Taeyong sat up and looked around. 

“What? Guys, I’m here,” he started to walk back to the couches, trying to get anyone’s attention. 

Yuta began looking around too, “I can’t even feel him. Did he leave?” 

“I can’t feel him either,” Doyoung looked genuinely concerned, “He’s not fast enough to get out of range in the few seconds he’s been gone,” 

Soon everyone was up off the couches looking for him. 

“I’m  _ right here! _ Can anyone see me? Can you  _ hear _ me? Doyoung? Ten!” 

Only panicking slightly, he scrunched his eyes closed and searched for that piece of Doyoung in his chest. Where was it? Was it gone? 

_ There it was. _ It was hidden under layers and layers of smoke or  _ something _ , just barely glowing where it had been a beacon before. He grabbed tight to that little thread and pulled hard, trying to drag himself back to Doyoung. 

Doyoung, meanwhile, let out a little “oh,” and bent forward, grabbing his chest. 

“Doyoung? Are you ok?” Yuta rushed to him to help him up. 

“I think it’s Jaehyun. He’s pulling at the Bond,” 

“So is he nearby?” Johnny asked. 

“I don’t… I don’t know,” 

Jaehyun  _ yanked _ and Doyoung lurched a step toward him, eyes wide and hands on his chest. 

“ _ Go back, go back, go back, go back!” _ he hissed to himself, forming fists in his hands and making himself shake with the effort to be seen again. 

“I think I see something!” Mark announced, pointing to Doyoung. 

To him, nothing happened, but everyone slowly started to gasp. It was like he was coming into view. 

“What the fuck,” he hissed. 

“I feel him again!” Mark shouted, smacking Yuta’s arm. 

“Jaehyun!” Ten shouted as well, rushing up to him after a second, “What the fuck was that?” 

“I have no idea,” he answered, “ _ Please _ tell me you can hear me,” 

“We can hear you,” Doyoung reached out and immediately pulled him into a hug. 

“That was terrifying,” he said into Doyoung’s neck, holding him tight. 

Slowly, they all took their seats again. 

“Well,” Johnny remarked, “Looks like we found Jaehyun’s power,” 


	6. petrichor and old leather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a fluffy reprieve <3 last chapter was pretty big and so is this next one, so let's have some sappy emotional scenes as a break 
> 
> EDIT: i'll be going through and giving the chapters titles because i really like the one i came up with for this one, but it would be weird to have only one chapter have a title! idk if anyone pays attention to that, sometimes i dont, but too bad <3

The old wood creaked under Jaehyun’s feet as he wandered from room to room. Moonlight filtered in through the windows that he opened as he passed, letting the delicate silver light shine through and raise the ephemeral curtains. Specks of dust flit through the air and he saw every single one, even the one that drifted past and landed on his nose. 

He could do that now. 

The smell of old books and mildewy wallpaper filled his lungs. The mansion was much bigger than he had anticipated, so it only made sense that there was a library somewhere in here. He certainly didn’t mind, finding solace in the leather bound parchment. Jaehyun stroked his finger along the front of a shelf, expecting a layer of dust to come up with it, but the bookshelves lining the walls were remarkably well taken care of. Someone came here often. 

He wandered through the maze of books, weaving in and out of floor-to-ceiling shelves. He kept a note in the back of his mind where the last window he opened was, just in case he got lost, but there was really no need. Despite being so deep in the house he was sure he wouldn’t be touched by sunlight even if it were noon on a summer’s day, he smelled the petrichor in the air and felt the breeze from outside. He would be able to find his way back. 

Again, he could do that now. 

He had noticed a greenhouse out the window that was attached to another part of the house. Maybe he should go find that next. But for now, as he floated from bookcase to bookcase like a disembodied spirit wandering through a house that was no longer his, he had nowhere else to be. 

Every so often he would pass a cracked leather armchair with an ancient lamp standing guard next to it, or a sleek modern thing standing out like a sore thumb amidst the peeling labels on the shelves and books older than the house itself. Nestled away like they were secrets to be kept; a hidden sanctuary only for those who knew where they were. 

He had a collection of books himself, he thought. They were currently in boxes in the foyer, having been just dropped off from his apartment a few hours ago. Jaehyun thought about where they would go. He could get his own bookshelf, he supposed, put it in the Nursery or the living room. Keep  _ his _ separate from  _ these _ . Or he could file them away into the library here. There could be no distinction between what was his and what is Doyoung’s. Would that be better? Or would he rather keep a hold on what belonged to him while he still remembered? He knew time would pass and eventually he’d lose track or not even care. 

He came across another window. It creaked and groaned as it opened, swinging wide into the night air. It dislodged vines that clung to the side of the building. This might have been their only foothold and he just cast them aside like weeds. Oh well, it was quickly becoming winter anyway. 

The night air gave him goosebumps but he felt no cold. He had started to notice, over the past day or so, that things he had grown so used to doing had stopped. Almost like his body was realizing that he didn’t need to, or couldn’t, do them anymore. For years he had an intermittent twinge under his left eye. Maybe from lack of sleep, maybe from some injury he got while drunk and didn’t remember the next morning. But it was gone now. Even more, he had always felt the need to jitter a leg up and down when he sat too still for too long. It bounced a regular rhythm from his heel up his calf, shaking his thigh absentmindedly. But now he only fidgeted when he focused on it. 

It was scary, feeling his skin flake and chip away to marble underneath. He no longer felt his pulse jump in his throat when Doyoung looked at him with that smile. Not that he was any less affected because believe him he  _ was _ , but he also didn’t feel his stomach fall to the floor when he missed a step on the stairs. He wondered if he would feel warmth spreading through his cheeks and fire down his throat at that first shot of alcohol. 

If he thought too hard, at times he had to physically remind himself to breathe. It scared him. He would realize, after sitting on his phone for far too long, that he hadn’t blinked in a while or hadn’t taken a deep breath. He scrambled to fix that, sometimes choking in the process, but his body simply didn’t need it. 

Maybe this was how he was supposed to be, he mused. Actually more like he tried to convince himself. That sprained wrist from when he went skiing as a kid, the one that never fully healed right? Now that he had been turned and he had that healing elixir in his veins, it was better than it maybe ever had been. He didn’t have random aches and pains anymore. That was good, right? 

Jaehyun jumped when the wood floors creaked again. He hadn’t moved, but someone was coming. He would make a cynical note about how he didn’t get anxious about that either, but there was no need. He knew who was making his way towards him; his heart let him know. 

“Jaehyun?” Doyoung asked softly, just a few more isles of bookcases away. 

“Here,” he answered, marble still at the windowsill. 

Doyoung didn’t try to hide his footsteps like Jaehyun knew he could. He tiptoed through the books almost like he was afraid to break the fragile silence in the library, but didn’t try to make it seem like he wasn’t there. He let his clothes shuffle against each other and made little humming noises when he encountered another empty chair. He probably knew every floorboard of the entire house but he stepped on ones that creaked anyway. 

Soon enough, Jaehyun could smell Doyoung as well. It wasn’t a smell he could name, not off the top of his head anyway, but Doyoung was warm. Warm even though it had started raining outside and the ice cold sleet bounced off the window pane and the little splashes landed on his hands and sleeves. 

“You’ll get sick,” Doyoung said softly once he found Jaehyun. He gently pulled him away from the window, closing it behind them. 

“I thought we couldn’t get sick,” Jaehyun followed obligingly. 

“We can’t,” Doyoung smiled, “But that’s what you say when you worry about someone, right?” 

Jaehyun didn’t answer. Doyoung led them to a nearby antique table, complete with ornate wooden chairs, and sat him down. “Penny for your thoughts,” He said after a moment. 

“I just… Do I really live here now?” he folded his hands on the table and watched them not move. 

“If you like,” Doyoung answered diplomatically, “I’d like it if you did, but you don’t have to,” 

“So if I wanted, I could pack up and move across the country? Across the world?” 

“Yes,” 

“I don’t believe you,” he lied. He did, he really did believe Doyoung. But he also wanted Doyoung to prove it. 

He took a second to gather his thoughts then put his hands on the table as well. “I know humans aren’t raised with the concept of Soul Bonds, I’ve had plenty of time for Yuta to explain it to me. But I was. So I’ll explain things as best as I can, alright?” 

Jaehyun nodded. He felt the butterflies in Doyoung’s stomach. He was  _ terrified _ to talk about this, terrified he would ruin something. But Jaehyun just sat and listened. He had a feeling Doyoung needed to say it out loud. 

“All I ever want, for the rest of eternity, is for you to be safe and happy. Because as long as you are safe, I can continue to take care of the family I’ve grown over the years, even if you don’t want to be a part of it. As long as you are happy, I will be too. You and I are different from Yuta and me. He’s a difficulty, honestly,” Doyoung laughed. Jaehyun smiled softly when he noticed Doyoung speak a little more formally, a little more classically. “Yuta will be a thorn in my side for as long as I live. But if he chooses to go start his own coven, I will do everything I can to ensure its wellbeing. I would do anything for him, but he is my Childe. My brother, in a sense,” 

Doyoung shifted awkwardly in his seat and reached a little closer to Jaehyun but didn’t take his hand yet. Jaehyun simply tilted his head the slightest bit, saying he was still listening, but didn’t do anything more. Doyoung continued. 

“If you want to leave, I will support you with my whole being. However, I believe things feel  _ right _ with you. We have much to work out, yes, but,” he adjusted his posture again, “I also believe that if we’re meant to be, we will find each other once again. If our meeting was a once in a lifetime opportunity, maybe eventually… I would live to find you again,”

Even though fate intervened and said they were destined for each other, according to his beliefs, Doyoung would still be willing to let him go? Just because Jaehyun wanted to? 

“Really? You’re being honest?” 

Doyoung looked into his eyes and Jaehyun was suddenly reminded of when they first met. His black hole eyes were warm and comforting like a mug of coffee as opposed to the harsh, unforgiving dark of night. They had both fed recently and Jaehyun took a second to appreciate the soft ring of gold around his pupil, radiating out like the sun. That would probably be the closest thing to the sun he would see in a long time. 

“I could never lie to you,” 

Jaehyun was the one to finally reach out and take his hand. Doyoung took a deep breath in and looked like he was moments away from crying. Instead, he swallowed hard and put on a reassuring face. 

Jaehyun held on but looked down at the table, focusing hard. “I think I… I think I like you,” 

Doyoung smiled hesitantly and teased. Jaehyun could hear it in his voice. “I certainly hope so, we might be stuck together for a little while,” 

That made Jaehyun look back up at him, his own smile pulling at his lips. “Yeah, maybe just a little,” he laughed, “But I mean, like, I think... I think I would like you anyway. Even without, erm,” 

“Without the Bond?” Doyoung supplied softly. 

“Yeah,” 

Doyoung squeezed his hand. “I like you too, Jaehyun,” 

And he really meant that. Glowing right in the center of his chest sat that part of him that wasn’t him, but it was. The little piece of Doyoung snuggled up warm and happy right next to his heart. The more he focused on it, the more it grew like a purring cat, leaning in to be pet. 

Doyoung was quickly becoming very close to his heart, right up there with Ten and Yukhei. And sure, he had been in love before, had dated around a little. But no one fit with him quite like this. 

Doyoung stood, still holding Jaehyun’s hand, and began to walk further into the library. “Have you seen the whole thing yet?” 

“How far back does it go?” 

“You’ll see,” 

Doyoung guided him through the maze of shelves and books until eventually they reached a large opening against the far wall. Curtains covered the floor-to-ceiling windows completely, but there was a small gap in the middle. He walked up to the gap and turned a large metal handle, swinging large bay doors open wide. 

“This might be my favorite place in the house,” 

Romeo and Juliet was the only thing going through Jaehyun’s mind. It was a balcony, emerging out of the mansion and into the night air like a ship. Carved stone framed the doorway with lion heads and crawling ivy seemingly moving in the wind with how detailed and realistic they were. 

But the main asset of this balcony was the view. It overlooked the expansive yard, showing the manicured green that stretched on for acres. A topiary garden lay to the west, winding walkways and all, and the east was complete with a water feature. An ancient grandmother willow tree arched over the water, long tendrils dipping their toes into the placid surface. 

The air was lush and fresh. The cold rain still hung in the air, making their clothes damp, but Jaehyun couldn’t feel it. Stars peeked out behind patches of clouds, showing parts of constellations Jaehyun had fallen in love with throughout his life. But looking at them from here seemed different. In this balcony, they were closer. Maybe within reach if he just stretched enough. 

He and Doyoung leaned against the cool stone and listened to the last of the chorus frogs sing before winter finally came. Owls called to each other in the distance, but if he listened hard enough, he could hear their talons scrape against the bare branches of the trees. He could even hear cars on the road, all the way on the other side of the long driveway in front of the house, though here they didn’t have any effect on him. Jaehyun’s always lived in cities; the sound of honking drivers and emergency sirens became the white noise around him. But here, a new song took over. 

A pair of deer walked through the backyard, right where the lawn gave way to the surrounding tree line. He heard their breath, he smelled their musk. It was uncomfortable in a sense. That wasn’t something he should have been able to do, and yet now he could. He was in an entirely new world around him. 

Doyoung let him sit and think for a good while. Eventually, however, he cleared his throat. “Have I ever told you how I met Johnny?” 

“No,” 

“He’ll tell it differently if you ask him, but just know that this is the right one,” Doyoung grinned. “We both ran away from our families. Borne Vampyres had an awful lot of traditions to uphold, after all, and neither of us were very happy with that. 

We were both young and stupid, thinking that since we were stronger than humans we were invincible. I stole a dinghy from a nearby fisherman. Just some small, scrappy little thing, and tried to make my way to the city. I had always heard that cities were bustling with energy, with life, and that was where humans gathered to trade and meet new people. The countryside where I lived was very remote at the time, though now I think it’s been developed. 

Johnny tried to kill me for my boat. He had had the same idea and had run for  _ miles _ to reach the river. …” 

Doyoung continued his story and Jaehyun let the words wash over him like the rush from the river greeting the shore. 

He shifted closer, close enough that he could press his entire side against Doyoung’s. 

“‘M cold,” was all he murmured when Doyoung gave him a look. But Doyoung said nothing and continued his tale. 

They stayed there on the balcony, swapping stories until the sky turned pink with the upcoming sunrise. 

“Let’s go to bed,” Jaehyun suggested softly. Doyoung waited for him to lean in before pressing a kiss to his forehead. 

“Anything you say, my love,” 

They were still holding hands. 


	7. leaders and lies

The Vampire Council was simultaneously everything and nothing Jaehyun expected it to be. He imagined a tall dark courtroom with shriveled, old, stuffy vampires casting judgement on terrified newborn fledglings. In a sense, he wasn’t wrong, he guessed, but he wasn’t right either. 

Doyoung fit right in to the crowd milling about in this country club-esque wing of someone else’s mansion. A few waiters wandered around with champagne glasses of blood, others alcohol. It felt like there were a million people here, and if Jaehyun hadn’t been briefed on who was on the council, he wouldn’t have guessed anyone in this room was older than 35. 

“Bit of a shock, huh?” Jungwoo elbowed him in the side, “They’ve gotten so much cooler over the past couple hundred years. Ugh, I remember when we were still meeting in that cave, ugh, it was nasty,” 

“How old are you anyway, Jungwoo?” 

“Ah, ah,” he waggled a finger at him, “Never ask a lady her age,” 

“You could never be a lady, Jungwoo, you swear way too much. Jungwoo?” he called as Jungwoo laughed and disappeared in the crowd. 

“Ignore him,” Doyoung said fondly at his side, “The cave wasn’t that bad. Think more… more Freemason secret society and less  _ Tom Sawyer _ ,” 

“Sure, old man,” Jaehyun laughed, pressing his shoulder up against Doyoung’s. They knit their fingers together at their sides. 

He was still plenty anxious, however. They were here for the hearing — or something – against Doyoung and then casually mention oh yeah, by the way, here’s his True Soul Bond and also Jungwoo has his too. It was going to go  _ great _ . They talked about it before they left. They had a game plan, in a sense. But that didn’t make Jaehyun any less anxious. 

“Hello, Doyoung! Who do you have with you today?” 

They turned around to see a sharp-dressed man with long hair bouncing up to them. 

“Heechul! Good to see you,” Doyoung greeted, “This is Jaehyun, my… Well, I suppose you’ll see during the meeting. Jaehyun, this is Kim Heechul, another Elder and Borne Vampyre,” 

“Nice to meet you,” Jaehyun greeted politely as if he weren’t freaking out on the inside. Of course he knew who Heechul was, who didn’t? He was only one of the biggest TV personalities in the world! 

“Ah, you’re playing one of those games, aren’t you, Doyoung?” Heechul grinned and clapped him on the shoulder, “I want every juicy detail when we’re done with this bureaucratic bullshit. Drinks sometime?” 

Doyoung grinned, “Wouldn’t miss it,” 

“See ya around,” and with that, Heechul too disappeared into the crowd. 

“So that just happened,” Jaehyun stared after him, doing a very good job of only screaming internally. 

Doyoung stifled a laugh, “That excited about him? I’ll let him know you’re a fan,” 

Jaehyun whipped around, “Don’t you dare. You wouldn’t!” 

Doyoung did actually laugh at that. “Oh my god, your face! Calm down, he’s a friend. You’ll be seeing plenty more of him. We did agree to drinks, after all. Now come on, the meeting’s starting soon,” 

They followed the crowd into a large room more along the lines of what Jaehyun had been expecting. Ok, so maybe there were only forty people or so, but Jaehyun was an introvert and any more than ten was a lot. 

This room was dark. To be honest, he couldn’t see much of the walls without squinting. But the center of the room was a giant War Room table — a circle with easily fifty chairs around the perimeter. Each leather chair had a microphone and a full office place setting, complete with pens and notepads. A ring of lights around the ceiling mirrored the table, set into the same mahogany wood. 

On the right, Jaehyun spied Jungwoo waving them down with two seats next to his. He rushed as much as he could without running to his friend and Doyoung moved on the other side of him, sandwiching him in the middle. No one sat down yet. 

“Are we all here? Shall we?” a woman asked, standing opposite the door at the head of the table. Was that…? No, it couldn’t be. 

Silence for a second, then she pulled out her own chair. Everyone else did the same after her. 

“Thank you all for coming once again, and thank you for coming on such short notice. I know this meeting wasn’t supposed to happen for another year or so, but some unforeseen circumstances required we change the date,” 

_ ‘That’s Anh Hyejin,’ _ Jungwoo wrote on his notepad and angled it so Jaehyun could see, ‘ _ Hwasa.’ _

Jaehyun couldn’t freak out, not at a time as important as this, so he simply wrote back ‘ _!!!!!!!!! _ ’ on the notepad and watched Jungwoo huff a small laugh. At this point, he really should stop being surprised when he learned his favorite celebrities are vampires. It made too much sense, to be honest. Doyoung laughed under his breath next to him, feeling his excitement, and shot him a small smile before returning his attention back to the front. 

“I would say let’s get through the boring stuff first,” Heechul spoke up, “But we do all have that online now. You’ve all looked through the shared folder? Please tell me we’re all using computers now,” 

One or two councilmembers grumbled quietly, complaining that no they haven’t used computers, and why can’t we just keep using paper, and one even said ‘no, I forbid magic use within my coven.’ 

“We’ve been over this, Hodong,” Heechul groaned good naturedly, “Get one of your Children, or even your Children’s Children to teach you. The sooner you do, the easier it’ll be. I’m not asking you to play a match with me, for fuck’s sake,” 

“A match of what?” Hodong asked while the councilmembers laughed. 

“Anyway,” Hwasa continued, “Things like budget and registry are all online now. I also suggest we all go through and review our policies, since some have new members in their covens and others just plain haven’t read the rules in a millennia,” she gave a pointed look to Heechul who just shrugged. 

“Anyone have anything to declare before we begin?” 

“I do,” someone opposite Jaehyun stood up. Again, he shouldn’t be surprised he’s a vampire, but he couldn’t help but blink in surprise when he saw Kim Junmeyon, the famous Broadway actor, start to speak. “I will be taking a leave to go back to Seoul for a few years, nothing too extravagant, just about twenty, twenty-five years or so. But in the meantime, Minseok will take my place at the head of my coven here in the US,” he gestured to the man sitting next to him, who happened to be Kim Minseok, and he nodded in greeting. 

Most everyone nodded in agreement. Someone else asked “Any objections?” and no one answered, so they thanked Junmyeon and moved on. He nodded and took his seat. It was quiet again for a moment, just hushed side conversations, before another person took over, shuffling some papers. 

“Alright, it’s my turn to talk about something no one wants to talk about,” announced Irene, CEO of the Red Velvet fashion line. “We’ve had a rise in attacks over the past few years. They’re getting bad enough that the humans have been noticing,” 

Murmurs swirled around the table, but no one interrupted. 

Irene continued, “We are urging everyone to go through the proper channels to feed! We have resources if you or anyone you know are not registered with your local blood bank, we are seeing a rise in registration with our Donor programs, and there are blood alternatives now. Please,  _ do not allow anyone to feed without human consent _ ,” she aimed a pointed look at Doyoung and Jaehyun. Not malicious, he didn’t think, but they were definitely on her mind. 

Hwasa nodded while Irene sat down, “Additionally, US government is mandating that we register any new fledglings. I personally say humans don’t need that information, they’ll only use it against us, but I am reminding you that we require a coven registry every 20 years in order to approve blood cards and coven space,” 

“So you won’t be giving them that information?” Someone raised a hand and leaned forward, letting others know they were speaking. 

“No, that will be kept completely internal. Humans don’t need to know how many we have,” Hwasa answered. 

“What about attacks on vampires?” someone asked. They didn’t stand or call attention to themselves any other way, and Jaehyun felt the air in the room turn cold. 

“By other vampires? Yes, we are here early this year to discuss that with one of our Elders, but that is an isolated incident,” Irene nodded. Jaehyun watched her swallow hard, though she hid it well. 

“No, I mean what about Hunters?” 

Everyone at the head of the table, including the other three or so next to Hwasa and Irene who hadn’t spoken yet, sat up ramrod straight. 

“Say that again? Did I hear you say Hunters?” the older looking man Jaehyun didn’t recognize asked. No one responded. 

“Hunters were outlawed nearly 50 years ago,” a woman on the other side of him smiled saccharinely, “Humans aren’t Hunters anymore,” 

Another person began to say “There’s been —”

The man raised his voice, laugh in his throat. “Hunters do not exist anymore. I have spoken with the Chief of Police for this city myself, and we do not need to worry ourselves with such trivial hypotheticals like that!” 

The entire room fell silent. Jaehyun glanced at Doyoung, just to see him stock-still and staring straight ahead. He was lost as all hell, but this was obviously something much bigger than he could even begin to understand right now. 

After far too long of a minute, Heechul stood, smile plastered sloppily on his face. He was in a rush to change topics, that was obvious, but he kept shooting confused glances at the others at the head of the table. 

“In any event, we’re here to welcome a new fledgling to the world! My dear friend Kim Doyoung, would you like to introduce your new charge?” 

Doyoung snapped out of it in an instant. He cleared his throat, stood, and straightened his jacket. “Thank you, Heechul. I would love to. Jaehyun, darling,” he held out a hand, wordlessly asking Jaehyun to stand up. “Council, I would like to present to you Jung Jaehyun, my newest Childe and my True Soul Bond,” 

Seamlessly, noise ran throughout the council again. Some cheered and reacted much like Taeyong did, some gave a light and polite if not impersonal response, but Jaehyun watched the crowd carefully. He saw that some of them did not take the news as well as others. There were a fair number of people in the crowd who scowled or leaned to their neighbor and whispered harshly. 

“Jaehyun, wonderful to meet you, welcome to the community!” Heechul greeted warmly, “It’s not often we see a new DC!” 

“I — I’m sorry?” Jaehyun leaned forward the slightest. What did he say? 

“My apologies, a Direct Changed, that’s the old term,” Heechul smiled warmly, “A, uh, Second Generation? It’s been a while since we’ve had someone new who was turned from a Borne Vampyre!” 

“Ah, yes!” Jaehyun nodded, “Thank you for the, the honor of being here tonight, sir,” He spared a glance at Doyoung and felt the anxiety beating at his chest. He would have asked what to say but didn’t expect to talk to the council! So instead, he bowed tersely and tried to sit back down, but Doyoung held his arm lightly. 

“What a polite fellow,” Heechul stage-whispered, elbowing the person next to him. He was doing everything he could to break the tension and it seemed to be working, other than the two earlier who argued about the existence of Hunters. 

Doyoung gracefully took over from there. “I would now like to begin the hearing against myself — officially referred to or otherwise — with a statement. I will stand by the fact that I  _ did _ kill another  _ vampiric being _ , but I do not believe it to be a vampire itself,” 

Shock ripped through the council. It took a second for the weight of what Doyoung said to sink in, but once it did, people weren’t happy. What did he mean, something vampiric but wasn’t a vampire? That didn’t make sense!

People attempted to talk over him, but Doyoung continued nonetheless, voice not even raising, “Unless in my time I have  _ missed _ the iteration of our venom that creates a vampire with glowing eyes and fangs for every tooth!” 

“What is he talking about?”

“That’s impossible!” 

“Glowing eyes?” 

“Maybe he saw wrong!” 

“Maybe he’s lying!” 

Jungwoo stood. “He’s not lying. I am his witness. He didn’t kill a vampire or any other creature I know of. Name me a creature that grows talons from its hands  _ and _ fangs like shark teeth!” 

The council erupted. People roared at each other, shouting across the table what they thought of this information. Some screamed at Doyoung and Jungwoo, others at the people screaming. Some even shouted at Jaehyun or Heechul. 

“Order, I said  _ ORDER!” _ Hwasa stood and pounded her fist on the table. Eventually people stopped arguing. “Doyoung, do you have any evidence to back this up?” 

He nodded and turned to Jaehyun. They talked about this. It was going to be awkward as hell, but they talked about it. Jaehyun took off his jacket and began unbuttoning the first few buttons of his shirt, glad he wore a tank top underneath just for this purpose. 

“Tell me, council, have you ever seen a vampire bite that looked like  _ this _ ?” 

Jaehyun pushed down the collar of the right side of his shirt and exposed the angry red shark bite on that side. It had healed over enough where there wasn’t more blood or pus to pick at, but the skin was flaming pink and stretched tight. It still showed the clear imprint of every tooth that sunk into Jaehyun’s flesh. Doyoung gently guided Jaehyun to turn around and show the back of the bite as well. 

No one said a word. Jaehyun couldn’t hear anyone breathing. No shuffling of clothing. No scuffing of shoes on the floor. Nobody moved. 

“I rest my case,” Doyoung declared. Jaehyun quickly put his shirt back on. 

No one spoke. The Head Councilmembers whispered to each other in hushed tones. The two people Jaehyun didn’t know seemed to be berating Hwasa, Heechul, and Irene, but the sound didn’t carry past their immediate vicinity. 

“In… light of recent evidence,” Hwasa turned slowly and put both palms flat on the table, “The Council Heads have decided to reconvene another day. This calls for an end to the Council meeting. Dismissed,” 

“That looks like —” 

“She said  _ dismissed, _ Minji!” the man up front snapped. 

Jungwoo reached around Jaehyun and tugged Doyoung’s sleeve. They shared a look and somehow immediately read each other’s minds. Jaehyun, still innocently buttoning his shirt and readjusting his jacket, squeaked in surprise when Doyoung grabbed his arm and yanked him hard. 

They were running. He didn’t know he could run that fast, and yet his legs moved without him even thinking about it, keeping up with Doyoung and Jungwoo effortlessly. He breathed heavily more out of surprise than the effort as well. The landscape blurred around them, but he found himself able to keep up. They left the mansion, raced across the sparse neighborhood of the gated community, and headed for home. 

“The car?” Jaehyun stammered, looking behind him. 

“I’ll send someone to get it,” Doyoung answered without even hesitating, “We’re not safe,” 

Finally they stopped outside the mansion. Doyoung’s mansion, their house. 

“Oh, thank god,” Jaehyun sighed, stumbling in the door. 

Doyoung ushered Jungwoo inside and closed the door quickly. Yuta appeared in an instant, closely followed by Ten and Yukhei, as Jaehyun took off his stuffy dress shoes. 

“What happened?” Yuta hissed, not even needing to ask what to do. He ran from window to window and closed any open blinds, completely cutting off any access the outside world had to their safe space. 

“They don’t believe him,” Jungwoo answered curtly. 

“You showed them the scar, though, right?” Ten fretted over Jaehyun and began buttoning his shirt correctly since he was one off. 

“Yeah, I did, why aren’t you asleep? It’s like one am,” Jaehyun answered and tried to push him off. 

“You think we could sleep when you were in a literal vampire den?” Ten answered, smacking his hands away and fixing his shirt, “Now, what happened?”

Doyoung, Yuta, and Jungwoo disappeared up the stairs, heading for Doyoung’s soundproof office. Johnny and Taeyong raced past a moment later to meet them. 

“There was an argument about if Hunters are coming back,” Jaehyun told his friends. 

“Hunters?” Yukhei swallowed, “What did they think?” 

He sat and listened, waiting to see if he could hear their conversation in the office. Nothing. He tried to connect to Doyoung, to see if he could hear anything whatsoever, even feel what was happening. Do his surprise, Doyoung pushed him away. 

“‘There is no war in Ba Sing Se,’” he finally said. 

Ten and Yukhei, understanding exactly what that meant, stood with him in the large, empty house in silence. 

In the few days Jaehyun had been in the mansion, he had never heard the house so quiet. There were always conversations happening somewhere else, or the sound of the TV in another room, or music from one of the bedrooms. But today, no one made a sound. Even the humans stayed quiet. The Elder vampires had finished their conversation some time ago and walked out of the office, somber. It didn’t look like they came to a conclusion about much of anything, but they all wore the weight of knowing what the others did. 

“What are we going to do?” Mark asked Yuta quietly, sitting with him at the bar. 

“We could pack up and leave,” Yuta snorted into his glass. This was one of those few times where if Jaehyun didn’t pay attention, he wouldn’t know if it was blood or alcohol. 

“Yuta!” Mark smacked his sire on the arm, “I’m serious!” 

Now that he had broken the spell of silence, everyone started murmuring to each other. Jaehyun watched. He was completely out of the loop with vampire politics, but it seemed even Yukhei was up to date. Ten, not so much, but he just leaned into Taeyong’s side and listened. 

Jaehyun himself was sat on the large sectional couch with Doyoung, tucked under his boyfriend’s arm, listening quietly as everyone brainstormed what was happening. 

“What did you think, Jungwoo?” Yuta asked, “You were there,” 

Jungwoo and Yukhei sat on the other end of the L-shaped couch, but Jaehyun took a second to note how they were sitting. It seemed innocent enough — or maybe not innocent since Jungwoo had his legs swung up over Yukhei’s lap, but innocuous enough — were it not for the fact that Jungwoo also clung to Yukhei’s arm like he was drowning and Yukhei rubbed circles into Jungwoo’s thigh with his thumb. He seemed… almost scared for him. Like he needed to protect Yukhei. 

Jungwoo answered anyway, sounding as confident as could be, “They’re scared. Something’s not happening how they’d like it to,” 

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Taeyong sighed. 

“That doesn’t make anyone feel better,” Johnny agreed behind the bar, “But what about this Hunter business? I mean, none of us thought the monsters were actually  _ gone _ after that law, but…” 

That was what made Jungwoo tense. ‘Monsters?’ Maybe the Hunters had gone after him harder than Jaehyun knew. That would make sense why he was so anxious, then. 

Sicheng shivered, “No, but you could’ve let me pretend,” he said softly. Jaehyun remembered Sicheng was nearly, what, 70? He had lived a good chunk of his life while the Hunters were active. 

Jungwoo opened his mouth to say something but Yukhei cleared his throat loudly. 

“I —” 

“A- _ hem, _ ” Yukhei coughed. 

“They’re not —!” 

“AHEM, ARH-HREK, HURK, HEM HERM HEM!” Yukhei sat and coughed obnoxiously fakely, glaring at Jungwoo the entire time, “Wow, sorry! My, uh, my allergies are really bad,”

Ten rolled his eyes. He and Jaehyun knew  _ something _ was going on, but this was also just how Yukhei acted when he had something he knew he should say but got too shy to. 

“We’re 40 feet underground, Xuxi,” Ten groaned. 

“Does someone have a cat in here?” Yukhei didn’t break eye contact with Jungwoo. 

Ten sighed overly-dramatically, “Out with it,” 

“Don’t you dare,” Jungwoo hissed. 

“You can’t stop me,” Yukhei stared back just as coldly. 

“Uh,” Doyoung sat up, “Do you two have anything you want to share?” 

“Nope!” Jungwoo snarled while simultaneously Yukhei blurted: 

“I used to be a Hunter!” 

Nobody moved. 

Then suddenly, everyone moved. 

Sicheng jumped like a gunshot just went off in his ear. Yuta sprang across the room, coming to land behind Doyoung’s spot on the couch. Taeyong grabbed Ten and yanked him back to Johnny before tugging them as far away as he could, while Johnny tried to go straight for Yukhei’s throat. In a whirl, Jungwoo pushed Yukhei to be behind him and snarled, fangs out and spit flying from his mouth. Doyoung shoved Jaehyun and Yuta behind him and stood his ground, solid at stone. Mark sat at the bar dumbfounded. 

_ “Nobody move!” _ Doyoung shouted. In an instant, everyone froze where they were, just like a cartoon. “Now  _ sit, _ ” he commanded. 

Everyone sat down where they were. Johnny in particular looked upset as he followed directions, plopping criss-cross-applesauce on the ground. 

“For anyone who didn’t know,” Doyoung stood then explained, “My Power is Orders. If I give a command, you will listen to it. Like it or not,” he ended with a paralyzing stare at both Johnny and Jungwoo. 

Like this, Jaehyun easily saw how Doyoung had scaled the ranks in the Council. He stood at the center of the room, cold and unforgiving, while simultaneously placing himself between anyone who wanted to cause trouble. Namely, he had Jungwoo and Yukhei backed into the corner to his left and the rest of the room on the right. He was a natural leader. 

“Yukhei,” he said evenly, not looking away from Johnny who was still chomping at the bit to lunge, “Care to explain?” 

“My parents were Hunters. I was raised as one as well, so I know the tools of the trade, but I’m not one,” Yukhei rose to his feet and put one hand out towards Johnny, the other backwards to keep Jungwoo where he was. He looked like Chris Pratt wrangling those velociraptors. 

“Why would we trust you?” Johnny spat from his carpet spot. 

“Try me, Swirly Straw. I haven’t fought a Borne Vampyre yet, but I’d be willing to try,” he shot back just as fast, “Haven’t lost a fight and I don’t plan to start now,” 

“There’s a first time for everything,” Johnny swiped for him but physically could not get up from his spot on the floor. How could Yukhei, then? 

“Enough!” Doyoung raised his voice, “Yukhei, why bring this up now?” 

“I know some people. I can ask around, see what’s happening on the human side of things. You think I’d do anything to put my Mate in danger? Or any of his Bonds? Or my  _ friends _ ?” 

Johnny snorted but didn’t say anything more. 

Yukhei continued, “There’ve been rumours going around about half-made vampires. I don’t know too much, but I know who I can ask. I know some good guys,” 

“Half-made?” Taeyong asked from the stairwell, peering into the room but not able to come in yet. He, too, was still stuck to the ground. 

Yukhei glanced back to look at Jungwoo and clearly told him something, most likely through their Bond, that Jungwoo didn’t like. “Doyoung,” he then raised his hands in surrender and stood up fully, “I’ll tell you and your coven everything I know if I have your word there won’t be a fight. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I also don’t particularly want to be killed at the moment,” 

Doyoung took a long moment to decide. He stared at every vampire in the room, weighing his options carefully. 

Yukhei said one more thing, further proving he had thought three steps ahead before saying anything, “I don’t think you ever asked, friends, but I  _ am _ from the Wong family,” 

Every vampire in the room old enough to have lived through the days of legal Hunting, except Jungwoo of course, shivered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just want to take a moment to thank you all for supporting this fic!! seeing how much feedback it's been getting and how much people like this has really motivated me to keep going <3 i hope you're as excited about it as i am!
> 
> also LiSTeN heechul, hwasa, and irene have been and always will be GOOD! just wanna clear that up before people ask; the council itself is corrupt, obvs, but i hope i made it clear enough that its ~those other people we dont know~ instead of our babies


	8. flashbacks and flash bangs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys if anything isnt making sense let me know!! i cant tell what comes across in each chapter super well because i know all the little background details, so if something isnt clear let me know and i can edit it or explain a little more! 
> 
> ex: yes, that was an avatar reference last chapter!! "there is no war in ba sing se" is from ALTA, don't feel bad about needing it explained bc my little sister did too. so jaehyun referenced that, meaning "there's something big happening that the government is flat out denying"

“I want you over here, out of the corner,” Doyoung finally said. 

Yukhei placed himself in front of the stairs leading up, directly behind Doyoung. He never turned his back on the group but also didn’t hesitate for a second. This was a side of Yukhei Jaehyun had never seen. 

Jungwoo, meanwhile, protested. Doyoung was telling Yukhei to move further away from his mate, after all. “What? Why? Doyoung, you can’t —” 

“Yes, I can Jungwoo,” Doyoung interrupted, “I need him where everyone can clearly see him, and where I am the closest person to him. Understood?” 

Jungwoo scowled but grumbled out a “Yes,” 

“Now, I need to hear from everyone before I make  _ any _ decision. Can you be released without attacking? Are you alright with this?” Doyoung looked to the most scared person in the room, Sicheng, signaling him to speak first. Sicheng nodded slowly, then gained confidence enough to say “Yes,” 

“Thank you, you are released,” Doyoung nodded, and like magic, Sicheng got up off the floor and returned to his chair. Doyoung turned to the next person, “Yuta?” 

“I’d like to hear,” was all he said. Doyoung nodded and Yuta returned to his spot as well. 

Doyoung went around the room, one by one, asking if they would be comfortable with Yukhei explaining himself. It simultaneously pissed Jaehyun off and made him sit in awe of his boyfriend. On one hand, how dare they not trust his best friend! But on the other, he was  _ amazed _ at how much Doyoung valued everyone’s opinions, comfort, and safety. He didn’t owe anything to Yukhei. It would certainly be easier to just let Johnny go and deal with things himself. 

Finally, they landed on Johnny. He and Jungwoo were the only two held to their spots anymore. 

“I need you with me, Johnny,” Doyoung said. 

Johnny scowled, “You know what they did,” 

“I know, but that wasn’t him,” 

Johnny was silent for a moment before glowering, “I’ll listen,” 

“Thank you,” Doyoung whispered. “And Jungwoo? Please don’t go for anyone. Remember, you did the paperwork like yesterday, you’re officially part of the coven now,” 

“I won’t start anything, I can promise that,” he answered evasively. 

“That’s as good as I’m going to get,” Doyoung sighed, “Please go sit, you two,” 

Doyoung was exhausted. Jaehyun nudged his Bond a bit, trying to convince him to come sit on the couch with him. Thankfully, Doyoung listened and wrapped Jaehyun up once more, melting into his touch. 

Yukhei hadn’t moved the whole time. He still stood with his back to the stairs, hands in the air. “I will say now, I am armed. Since Jaehyun’s attack, I have been armed at all times. I didn’t feel the need to before then,” 

Jaehyun grumbled, speaking up for the first time this whole conversation, “I would ask ‘what changed,’ but I think that’s pretty evident,” 

Yukhei cracked a hurt smile. “Oh, wow, I wonder. But anyway, yes. I was raised a Hunter. I am now no longer in contact with my family, they’re shitty even without the ‘being racist’ part,” he turned serious and dropped his hands, “Also, Johnny, I am really sorry for calling you a Swirly Straw, that was out of line,” 

“I won’t care if your info is worth it,  _ Buffy _ ,” Johnny shuffled in closer to Taeyong, wrapping an arm ‘casually’ around Ten on the other side of him. 

“What can you tell us about the creatures?” Yuta pressed. 

“I’ve heard some higher-profile vampires have been going missing. Again, I’ve been out of the loop for a while,” Yukhei shrugged apologetically, “But high-profile as in like, a few Thirds, one or two Seconds,” 

Everyone looked uneasy. As Jaehyun had come to learn, he remembered, the closer a vampire got to the Borne Vampyre at the head of their line, their powers got stronger. That didn’t bode well for anyone. 

Mark pushed his glasses up his face, “When, uh, when did the last person go missing?” 

Yukhei thought for a moment, “What day is it today, Wednesday?” 

“Thursday morning, I think,” Mark glanced at his watch. 

“And Jaehyunnie got attacked Friday night…” he counted on his fingers, thinking hard, “The last person that I heard of anyway went missing a week ago, last Tuesday now,” 

“Fuck,” 

“So if they did something with the last person, that could’ve taken a couple of days to kick in…” Yuta thought aloud. 

That sat uneasily on everyone’s minds. Whether they were changing the vampires themselves or using them to change a human… Neither exactly made anyone feel good about the situation. 

“So why are you telling us this?” Doyoung was still skeptical of course, but they all needed more information. 

“My friends are the good guys. And I’m telling you because you’re good people too, I don’t wanna see any of you get hurt,” Yukhei said plainly, as if that got rid of any doubt in anyone’s mind. 

“Define ‘good guys,’” Johnny interrogated. 

“Again, they’re not my family, they’re not Wong, but they’re as good as my brothers. They’re not so much Hunters as they are… A, uh, a taskforce,” no one made a noise so Yukhei kept talking to fill the silence, “They don’t go looking for vampires, but sometimes they get called in for a rogue or something. No killing unless they absolutely have to! Just capture and return, rehabilitate,” 

“Uh huh,” 

“Hey one or two of them are even Donors, so that’s a pretty good olive branch,” 

“Donors?” Johnny’s eyes widened in surprise, “No way. Hunters would never be Donors,” 

Yukhei shrugged like that just made his point, “So then maybe they’re not Hunters! Anyway, I know them, they’re good guys, I trust them, and Jungwoo trusts me, so if you trust Jungwoo you’ll trust them,” 

That shut Johnny up. He did trust Jungwoo, it seemed, so that was just another ball in Yukhei’s court. 

“You said you’re Wong,” Sicheng spoke up, “Right?” 

Yukhei actually looked apologetic at that. “Yeah, I did say that,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “I, uh, I am actually really sorry about that. You… You wouldn’t happen to have been near Hong Kong in the…?” 

“I was,” Sicheng said coldly. 

“My grandfather,” Yukhei nodded, “I’m so sorry,” the two seemed to have an entire conversation in silence, just simply holding one another’s gaze and letting their faces say everything that needed to be said. Sicheng had been hurt, but Yukhei wanted to do everything he could to help. 

“But that’s why I’ve stuck with these guys,” Yukhei continued once they broke eye contact, “I’ve gotta have better morals to teach my kids, right?” 

Mark groaned only half-jokingly, “Oh my god, Yukhei, first you drop that you’re a Hunter then you drop that you’re a dad? What the fuck, bro!” 

Jaehyun, Ten, Yukhei, and Jungwoo let loose little peals of laughter at that, leaving everyone else confused and concerned. 

“Yukhei’s not a dad,” Jaehyun recovered first while Ten wiped a tear from his eye, “He teaches preschool,” 

“Could you  _ imagine? _ ” Ten giggled, actually doing a fair job of lightening the mood and Johnny’s death grip on him and Taeyong, “Xuxi, a  _ father _ ? He’d burn the house down in one day. His poor wife!” 

“Hey!” Yukhei protested. 

“Or husband! Sorry,” Ten snickered, not remotely sorry. 

Taeyong smacked Ten lightly on the arm to get him to stop giggling and looked back and forth between Johnny and Yukhei. “Ok, ok, hold up. You’re a Hunter,” 

“No, I’m not. I know more about vampires than a typical human probably, I can hold my own in a fight, but I would  _ never _ hunt people,” 

“What about vampires, though?” 

Yukhei stared at him. “I… Didn’t I just say that?” 

“You said people,” 

“Are you not a person?” 

Taeyong didn’t have any more questions. 

“Ok, wait, fuck, look,” Yukhei shook out his head and his hands and started over. “I don’t wanna, like, twist your arm to trust me or make you depend on me. But I’ve got some resources I want you to be able to use,” 

Johnny held his posture exactly the same but rubbed circles into Taeyong’s arm, “And what do you get out of it?” 

“‘What do I get —’ are you shitting me? I get my friends, dude! I keep my family safe!” Yukhei was getting irritated now. He started to get a little bit of his Cantonese accent mixed in his English the way he only did when he was dead tired or fuming. 

The last time Jaehyun heard Yukhei speak Cantonese, he had just been told by the police there was nothing they could do when he called in saying one of his students was being abused at home. Yukhei had nearly gone to the father’s home himself before the bristling, explosive anger froze and sank into a ball of dry ice at the bit of him stomach. He had gone so far as to find the man’s house and began watching for patterns in their day. 

Ten and Jaehyun had kept him locked in the apartment for nearly a week, thankful it was over the summer so he wasn’t missing school. He finally sat hunched on the couch, sandwiched between the two of them, sobbing in Chinese. 

_ “I… I don’t know all of what he’s saying,” _ Ten had said,  _ “I know Mandarin, not Cantonese, and I’m not the best, but… He just keeps crying ‘poor baby’ or ‘my child,’” _

If there was anything in this world Jaehyun was certain of, it was that Yukhei would go to the ends of the earth for anyone he cared about.  _ Anyone _ . 

Jaehyun looked at Jungwoo then at Doyoung. They both had an unreadable expression on their faces. Doyoung also felt unreadable. He couldn’t decide to trust Yukhei or protect his family from a very real, very dangerous threat. 

Jaehyun stood. 

“Jae?” Doyoung whispered. 

Jaehyun stepped forward until he was directly in front of Yukhei. “What do you need?” 

“Time,” 

Jungwoo and Taeyong were about to take Ten and Yukhei home. Nobody liked it, but it seemed to be a little bit of what everyone needed. It was nearly 5am, and while there was certainly space for the humans in the massive house, it had also been a few days since they had been home longer than two hours. Besides, winter break was nearly over and Yukhei needed to start preparing for his preschoolers to come back soon. 

“I’ll let you know by tonight,” Doyoung promised at the door. 

“I trust you’ll make the right decision,” Yukhei nodded, “And I won’t go behind your back. You deserve a choice in this,” 

“Thank you,” 

Jaehyun sat on one of the stairs leading up to Doyoung’s room watching them silently. Everyone else had left for their own rooms already, heads spinning with what just happened. Jaehyun didn’t want to think about any of it. He just wanted to curl up in bed with Doyoung, playing with his soft hair, until they fell asleep. Things were always better in the morning, his mom had always said. Well, maybe better in the evening nowadays. 

Taeyong swung open the door and gestured for the two humans to lead the way out to Yukhei’s parked car. The four of them would drive back to the apartment, Jungwoo would stay with Yukhei, and Taeyong would run back before sunrise. He was certainly fast enough and in the middle of winter the sun didn’t fully rise until almost 8am anyway. 

Before stepping out the door, Jungwoo screwed up his face in confusion. He started slowly, “Doyoung, I have a b —” 

BANG! 

In an instant, the sun exploded in the living room. 

Blinding white light. Ringing in his ears. 

Jaehyun shouted. He couldn’t hear his own voice. 

The room spun around him. 

Two figures moving in perfect sync — no, just one? Or were there three? — came barreling in through the front door. 

Jaehyun shoved the ground away from his face and tried to crawl to the front of the room. His family was there. Yukhei and Ten and — 

The carpet slammed into his face hard. Ringing echoed throughout the house and the ground shook in the rhythm of footsteps. 

People in all black, faceless figures, streamed in the front room. Jaehyun tried to focus on one that kicked a lump on the floor, making it turn over. He felt a pain in his side. 

“Doyoung?” he groaned. 

He heard a scuffle. Someone near the front door was on their feet, then someone else was on the ground. 

He couldn’t stay upright anymore. 

Then, just as quickly as it started, it was over. The ringing didn’t stop, but there was no more motion at the front door. No more footsteps shaking the foundation of the house. 

Eventually, his vision stopped spinning. There was now just one couch where before there had been three. One couch was a good sign. 

His hearing eventually faded back in as well, a little bit at a time. 

“—Hyun? Jaehyun?” 

His name was being called. Oh, that gave him deja vu. 

“Jaehyun, we need to know if you’re here! We can’t see you!” 

Can’t see him? Why not? Was he behind the couch? He stood on shaky feet, holding on to the couch for dear life, when he smacked into the ottoman on the floor. It shifted with a solid THUNK, but he didn’t even register any pain from it: he hurt too much to begin with. 

“That moved, he’s here,” 

Taeyong rushed over and felt around for Jaehyun before yanking his arm up and over Taeyong’s shoulders. “I have him,” he announced, “Jaehyun, focus on your fingers. Can you show me your fingers? Count them for me?” 

Jaehyun, confused, did as he was asked. He held up one hand and counted his fingers out loud. Why the hell did Taeyong want him to do this? Whatever, he was tired, he would do nearly anything to avoid an argument at this point. 

“There he is,” Ten sighed, plopping on the couch next to him, “Jae, we can see your fingers now. You can turn invisible, remember?” 

Oh fuck, he could. He counted slowly, wriggling his toes and rolling his shoulders, until Ten could look him in the eye. He gave him a silent nod when Jaehyun had fully reappeared, holding a hand to the side of his head. 

The rest of the coven had rushed to the living room in the meantime. 

“What happened?” Johnny shouted. Jaehyun’s hearing and vision were almost back to normal now, but something still felt off. 

Yukhei, panting heavily, limped toward the couch, wiping a bloody knife on his shirt. 

“Doyoung’s gone. They took him,” 


	9. bared fangs and hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE WE GO YALL

“We have to go after them!” 

“I said sit  _ down _ , Jaehyun!” Johnny shoved him back into the couch so hard it tilted on its back feet before rocking back and landing heavily on the floor. 

“Don’t touch me!” he snarled, but didn’t move after Johnny shot him one more burning glare that made him begrudgingly stay in his place. 

“What just happened?” Taeyong slowly got off the floor, head bleeding. 

Immediately, Johnny rushed to his side. Ten tried to, but collapsed back into the couch. 

“Explain,” Johnny whirled to Yukhei, looking at him like he just attacked everyone himself. 

“What do you want me to explain?” he snapped, putting his silver knife away, “I’m the reason Taeyong’s still here right now. We were attacked, Johnny,” 

Dropping into an attack stance, Johnny stood in front of Taeyong protectively, “Don’t you call yourself one of us,” 

Yukhei ignored him, helping Jungwoo into a chair instead. “Shut up, fighting me won’t help you right now! Yuta, secure the door, Donghyuck? Grab a med kit,” 

Jaehyun struggled to his feet again. “I can’t feel Doyoung,” 

“Mark,” Yukhei ordered, jerking his head at Jaehyun. Mark immediately rushed to him, helping him stand. 

“ _ I _ am the head of this coven,” Johnny snapped, fangs bared at their full length, “You will not give orders,  _ human, _ ” 

Yukhei whirled and stood at his full height, barely taller than Johnny, but his aura completely overshadowed Johnny’s frantic scrabble for control. 

“You are, but you’re doing a shit job at crisis management. Snap out of it and make some decisions. Until then, I’m going to keep my family safe,  _ vampire.”  _ Yukhei grabbed the med kit Donghyuck silently offered and addressed the whole group, “Nursery. Now,” 

Despite any animosity the coven had toward Yukhei earlier, they listened in an instant. Johnny trailed behind, letting Sicheng help Ten to his feet, and made sure they all made it down to the most secure level. 

Jaehyun’s stomach sat in his throat. The happy little bubble of Doyoung he had gotten used to was gone, and all he could feel was a burning, gaping hole where he had been. Not that he felt pain where Doyoung should have been, but he just felt… Nothing. How it was before he had met him, but now he knew what he was missing. He had never felt so alone. He didn’t think he could speak if he tried, so he just followed everyone to the basement, Mark still at his side. 

Johnny secured the blast door behind him once they were all in the Nursery, then stood guard and waited for Yukhei to speak. 

“We were attacked,” he announced. Johnny didn’t even scoff at the words; he knew how serious this was. “We were attacked, by Hunters and by professionals. They had an in-and-out of under a minute and they didn’t need permission to enter your house. That either means they were human or they had been inside before. But that also means they planned this. You’re being watched,” 

“Where’s Doyoung?” 

“I don’t know,” Yukhei swallowed hard but his voice didn’t waver, “But he’s alive right now and that’s what matters. We know at least  _ some _ of the others who were kidnapped have been kept alive too, because they’ve got at least one Soul Bond or Blood Link and we haven’t heard any news about them. Not everyone who’s been captured had others to look for them, so we can’t be certain,” 

“What are we going to do?” Mark fretted, holding an alcohol pad to Taeyong’s head. 

Yukhei turned to Johnny. “You have a safehouse,” he didn’t ask. He stated. 

“Yes,” 

“Take them there. Everyone,” 

Johnny’s jaw clenched and the room heard him grind his teeth together, “Don’t tell me what to do,” 

“Dammit, Johnny!” Yukhei slammed his hand against the blast door right next to Johnny’s head, making a BANG that startled nearly everyone in the room, “We don’t have time for this! You need to keep everyone safe!  _ That’s _ your job now! They went after  _ your _ coven for a reason.  _ Why _ ?” 

While Johnny spluttered to think of an answer, Jungwoo gasped under his breath, “Our Bonds,” 

“What?” 

“Our Bonds,” he repeated, looking up with wide eyes, “Doyoung announced at the Council meeting that Jaehyun is his True Bond, and I’m now officially part of our coven. We’re the strongest in the area — no, probably the  _ country _ right now,” 

“No, we can’t be,” Yuta scoffed in disbelief, “We’re nowhere near the biggest —” 

“Two Borne Vampyres, two True Soul Bonds, what — four of us are Elders? None of us are below a fourth generation?” Jungwoo stood, “You do know most covens are led by a second or third gen nowadays, right? And they’re mostly fifth or sixth generation vampires?” 

“Wait, four Elders?” Mark asked, puzzled. 

Donghyuck nodded, “Jungwoo’s a third gen and he’s, what, 900?” 

“Whoa, I didn’t know that,” 

Jungwoo interrupted, “It doesn’t matter. We’re all in danger now that the Council has eyes on us. They know we have some weight to throw around in the community, and we attracted the wrong kind of attention at the meeting,” 

Yukhei pressed on the bridge of his nose, “We got too close to the truth, but what  _ is _ it?” 

Johnny interrupted, frantic at this point. “None of us are going anywhere!” 

Taeyong’s eyes snapped to him, having finally stopped the bleeding, “What?” 

Johnny was bristling now, eyes red in anger and desperation the way only a vampire’s could turn, “You are staying here, I’m going to get Doyoung and kill off those Hunters once and for all, and that will be the end of it!” 

Taeyong stood to argue, but Jungwoo gently pressed him back down to the couch after sharing a look with Yukhei. 

“Johnny, don’t be stupid,” he shook his head and held eye contact in a way that made Jaehyun’s blood curdle. 

“No one is going anywhere and that is final! I am the leader of this coven, Jungwoo, and now that you’re in it, you will listen to me!” 

Jaehyun noticed something as the ringing in his ears cleared. When Jungwoo stood, Yukhei took a step back towards the door. He wasn’t one to retreat in any situation, let alone one like this. He had something planned. 

Jungwoo stepped toward Johnny and raised his voice, “You’re not Doyoung, you can’t make us do  _ anything! _ Either we go to the safe house or we split up, those are the only ways to keep us all safe!” 

Roaring. Spit and venom flying from his mouth, Johnny lunged at Jungwoo and tackled him to the ground. They rolled, Johnny’s hands going for Jungwoo’s throat, but Jungwoo kicked upwards and launched him into the wall. 

Everyone stood and scrambled to the edges of the room, but Jaehyun watched as Yukhei slipped open the door and ran out. 

Johnny lunged for Jungwoo again. 

Jaehyun ran around the other side of the room and sped out the door as well. 

Halfway up the stairs, Yukhei clung onto the railing for dear life, huffing and panting heavily. 

“Yukhei?” Jaehyun hissed. 

“Jaehyun!” Yukhei stood upright and held out his hand, trying to keep Jaehyun from following him, “Get back in there, you need to stay with the group!” 

“I’m going with you, you don’t have a choice,” 

Yukhei winced and held his side just as Jaehyun heard a thud from the Nursery once more. 

“You’d do the same if it were me,” Jaehyun pressed. 

“Fine, but hurry. We have to go now,” 

Jaehyun grabbed Yukhei and slung him onto his back. “Can you feel him? Jungwoo?” 

Yukhei groaned in pain with another crash from downstairs, “Yeah, he’s getting the shit beat out of him,” 

Jaehyun scrambled up the stairs in the blink of an eye, only a little awkward with his newfound strength and speed. “Jungwoo could easily take Johnny in a fight! Why is he losing?” 

“To get us away. Stop!” Yukhei smacked Jaehyun’s arm as they passed a large mirror in the entryway of the house. “Turn invisible!” 

“What?” Jaehyun stopped anyway, hiking Yukhei up higher on his back, “I can’t do it on command yet!” 

“Well it’s that or pull a disguise out of your ass! See if you can make me invisible too!” 

“I don’t think I can do —” 

“Try it! Johnny’s winning!” 

Jaehyun stared at the mirror and tried to remember what it felt like to be invisible, undetectable. He started with his fingers, just like how he turned visible again moments earlier. They watched in the mirror as Jaehyun’s arm slowly faded from view like a mist. His face screwed up with the effort of getting the rest of his body there. 

“Think of it like a — like a paintbrush, just covering little bits of us at a time. Little by little, can you feel the brush on your skin?” 

“How’d you get so good at coaching vampires on their powers?” Jaehyun grunted as his left side and the start of Yukhei’s leg disappeared too. 

“Kids have temper tantrums just like you, yknow, this is one of my regrouping exercises,” 

“Fuck you,” Jaehyun only had a little bit more to go. 

“Bring it up again once we’re gone,” 

Jaehyun wrenched the front door open and ran as fast as he could into the city. They only had a few minutes before sunrise. 

Jaehyun sat on the couch, hunched under a blanket while Yukhei scrambled to cut out every bit of sunlight from his apartment. They made it to the city with only a minute or so of sun exposure. Jaehyun was glad that being a second generation meant he could at least survive the sun for a bit, even though he got a wicked sunburn. 

“Ok, you’re safe,” 

Jaehyun pushed the blanket off of himself and winced as his headache grew worse. “Ugh,” he groaned, holding his head. 

“You ok?” Yukhei crouched in front of him, checking him over for any scrapes. 

“Just a migraine,” 

Yukhei stood and walked to the bathroom, “When was the last time you ate?” 

Jaehyun thought for a second, “I had some pizza before the Council meeting yesterday?” 

“No, you idiot,” he sat down on the floor in front of him and Jaehyun finally caught sight of the first aid kit he retrieved from the bathroom, “The last time you  _ drank _ ?” 

“Oh,” wait, what? “No, no I am  _ not _ going to drink your blood!” 

“You can and you will!” Yukhei began aggressively scrubbing the crook of his elbow with an alcohol pad, “When was it?” 

“Monday,” he grit out, trying to stand up from the couch but his head spun again. 

Yukhei pressed him back down into the couch and held out his arm, “Either bite me so I get your venom or I’ll open a vein myself,” 

“You wouldn’t dare,” he gave him a scathing glare but couldn’t argue with him. He knew Yukhei wasn’t bluffing. 

Yukhei held up a paring knife from the kitchen, “Oh yeah? I’ve done it before, I’ll do it again!” 

“No! You need permission before you drink, and I don’t give it!” 

“That applies to the human, dumbass!” 

“Ugh, fuck you!” Jaehyun groaned. He grabbed Yukhei’s arm and lightly hauled him up onto the couch. Doyoung was right, it was far more intimate feeding from the elbow. “I’m letting you know, I’ve only done this once,” 

“I’m wearing silver, I’ll let you know when you’ve taken enough,” 

He opened his mouth and hovered over his best friend’s arm, letting his fangs slide out on their own. “This is weird, bro,” 

“Just hurry up and lick me,” 

Jaehyun fake gagged before swiping his tongue over his fangs then onto his arm, smearing the venom over the thin skin in his hands. He  _ detested _ that Yukhei’s blood smelled good and that his fangs itched, ready to bite. 

Yukhei’s warm breath ghosted over the hair on the back of Jaehyun’s neck. His chest was inches away from the top of his head. Any closer and Yukhei would be in his lap, or the other way around. 

“Jungwoo’s gonna kill me,” he grumbled. 

Yukhei scoffed with a proud smirk, “Nah, he doesn’t bite me there,” 

Once more, Jaehyun made a sick noise in the back of his throat, but bit nonetheless. It amazed him how differently blood gushed from the artery here, as opposed to the gentle trickle that came from the wrist. He wrapped his lips around the wound and gulped warm,  _ full _ mouthfuls of fresh blood. Any little pain that echoed through his body immediately knit itself back together. The ringing in his ears finally stopped, and his senses cleared once more. However, something about Yukhei tasted different than Taeil or even the donated blood packs he had taken from. 

Mere seconds passed before Yukhei pressed something burning hot and shockingly cold at the same time to his hand. Jaehyun hissed and pulled off quickly. “Fuck, that’s what silver feels like?”

“I guess. Hey! Clean up!” Yukhei snipped once the blood started to run down his elbow. 

“Sorry!” Jaehyun grabbed his arm once more and let his fangs drip onto the wound, lapping gently at anything that had escaped. “You taste weird, dude,” 

“Oh, sorry,” he said, not sorry at all, as he rubbed his arm in awe, “I’m kinda not fully human,” 

“What?” Jaehyun screeched. God, that on top of everything else? What next? 

“No, no! Chill, it’s chill!” Yukhei scrambled, sitting Jaehyun back down on the couch again, “The Wong Clan has some old Vampyre genes somewhere way down the line. Like  _ way _ down, and the old type like Doyoung and Johnny where they were born, not made. But that’s kinda why we’ve been the best Hunters for generations. You guys can’t use your powers against us, and we heal pretty fast. Not super fast, but pretty good,” 

Jaehyun just blinked and stared. But you know what? At this point, Ten could tell him he was a fairy and Jaehyun wouldn’t even question it. He grabbed a paper towel from the roll Yukhei brought, “That’s pretty cool I guess. No powers?”

“Nope. Just a plain-ass human other than that,” 

“Huh,” 

“Yeah,” A second later, Yukhei flopped back against the couch with a large sigh. “Woof, guess that thing about venom is true, huh?” 

“What?” Jaehyun grumbled around the paper towel he now held at his mouth, clearing up any spit or venom or honestly he didn’t even want to know what. 

“Older generations have stronger venom,” he answered. Honestly, he looked a little stoned, and remembering Taeil, that made sense. A dopey smile spread across his face and he laughed, “But your fangs are so tiny!” 

Oh, that was a new insecurity Jaehyun didn’t know he had until now. “Hey!” 

“No, they’re cute!” he leaned over and poked Jaehyun’s lips, searching for the fangs, “They barely go past your regular teeth!” 

“Get away!” Jaehyun smacked his hand, but Yukhei pushed his lip up to reveal the sharp teeth that hadn’t hidden themselves away yet. 

Yukhei cooed, “Aww, look at them!  _ Anyone _ can tell you’re a baby! That’s damn adorable, dude,” 

“Shut up!” his ears burned and spread down his neck, radiating embarrassment over his chest. 

Yukhei shook his head and sat back up, only wobbling slightly, “Damn. Next time I need a high, I’m coming to you, bro. That’s  _ strong _ , ” 

Jaehyun smacked his arm. 

“Jaehyun, you need to sleep,” 

“No I don’t,” he grumbled. 

It was nearly two pm. Despite the cold winter, the sun was high in the sky, and Jaehyun fought as hard as he could to stay awake while Yukhei searched for his hard-to-find Hunter friends. He hadn’t actually stayed up through a full day since he had been turned, but there was no way he could sleep now. Not without Doyoung. 

“We’re gonna get him back, ok?” Yukhei said softly, adjusting the blanket to cover Jaehyun from any stray sunlight. 

“But what if —” 

“Nope, no, don’t start that!” he interrupted, “Are you dead right now?” 

“No,” Jaehyun grumbled, burrowing into the blanket. 

“Then that means Doyoung isn’t dead either. He’s still alive, and I bet I can guarantee you, this isn’t the worst that he’s gone through. How old is he, again?” 

He made a noise. He didn’t know quite what the noise was supposed to mean, maybe a mix of ‘you’re right’ with ‘I don’t know’ and some ‘fuck you,’ but Yukhei understood it just fine. “He’s old as fuck,” 

“That’s right. How many wars do you think he’s seen?” 

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” 

“Just answer,” 

“Like, all of them,” 

“Yeah. I think, after all this time, he’s got some coping strategies,” 

Jaehyun didn’t say anything for a long time. The void in his chest where Doyoung had been throbbed. His body even knew he was missing, let alone the familiarity that his soul had grown to know. He ducked his head under the blanket too. 

Yeah, Doyoung was  _ probably _ fine, but Jaehyun didn’t know. That was what scared him. He didn’t  _ know _ if Doyoung was just being held, or what if he were being tortured? What if — 

“Ten isn’t coming home tonight,” Yukhei announced, interrupting his thoughts. 

“How come?” 

“He’s uh, — oh,” 

Jaehyun could hear the face Yukhei pulled as the next text came through. “Oh what?” he asked. 

“He’s helping Taeyong ‘look after’ Johnny. I don’t even wanna know what that means,” 

“Ew,” 

Things started to lapse back into silence. The only sounds in the apartment came from the bustling street outside or the ambient noise of the heater. Yukhei tapped away at his computer, engrossed in something. Eventually, he spoke, breaking the silence. 

“Did you ever think we’d be like this?” 

Jaehyun peeked out from behind the blanket just enough to glare at his friend. “A vampire and an ex-Hunter?” 

“No, idiot,” he laughed softly, “Dating people,” 

“Oh. No, I guess not,” 

Yukhei hummed. “Ten’s been with someone — or someones — longer than one night. You and I are both vampire-married,” 

“What? No,” 

He kept typing, letting the white noise fill the space while he thought, “Jungwoo and I are Mates. That’s a big thing. You’ve also got a True Soul Bond, but you’re not mated yet,” 

“Is that any different?” 

“Yeah, you choose to be Mated. I had to figure out how to bite Jungwoo back, but…”

That was something else he would have to ask about if they got Doyoung back. No, not if.  _ When _ . 

“… Did it hurt?”

“Did what hurt?” 

“Being turned,” 

Jaehyun heard the way Yukhei’s heart rate ticked up at that. He was scared. “I’m not the best one to ask,” he said slowly, not looking at his best friend. “Is… Is he pushing you?” 

“No! No, he’s not, I… I haven’t asked him yet,” 

Jaehyun shuffled closer to him and leaned against his friend’s broad side. Yukhei was a very physical person, he needed the comfort right now. “You want to stay with Jungwoo,” 

“For the rest of my life,” he answered in a heartbeat, almost choking over his own breath in an attempt to answer so quickly. “I can feel the Bond. Humans aren’t supposed to, but…” 

“But your Wong Clan blood,” 

“Yeah,” he cleared his throat and changed the subject, “What about Ten?” 

“What  _ about _ Ten?” 

Yukhei stopped typing for another moment, “He’s in love. I’ve never seen him in love before,” 

Jaehyun hummed, “He  _ cuddles _ them. That’s huge for him. I don’t think he’s ever even stayed the night at someone else’s house. But now he’s been with them every night for the past three days,”

“Do you think it’ll work out? That he’ll get over himself and stay with them? I like them,” Yukhei admitted, even though he started a fight with Johnny not even a day ago. 

“I hope so. I think if anyone can convince someone they’re worth loving, it’s Taeyong,” 

“Yeah,” 

They were silent once again. Jaehyun leaned his head against Yukhei’s large shoulder and watched the words appear on his laptop screen, not even registering what words were coming up. 

“Sleep, Jaehyun. I’ll wake you up when the sun sets,” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't wanna push but if you like this fic, maybe think about buying me a kofi? <3 i do also take commissions if you want anything in particular from me! ko-fi.com/sunshineceej 
> 
> thank you for reading!! buckle up boyos (and girlos and allayall'os)


	10. wet dogs and crossbows

“This doesn’t look like the right place, Yukhei,” 

“Well I don’t know what else it would be,” Yukhei pulled a face, hands on his hips and staring up at the shop sign, “Now come on, go away,” 

“You don’t have to say it like that,” Jaehyun grumbled. He focused little by little on turning invisible and waited for Yukhei to give him a nod of approval before they crossed the street. 

If you asked Jaehyun, a flower shop was a shitty cover for the now-illegal vampire Hunters’ business. Even if you ignored the shitty decor and papyrus script on the front door stating the name as “ _ We Bloom _ .” 

Yukhei pushed the door open wide enough that Jaehyun could slip in after him while the tinkle of a bell announced he was there. If they really were Hunters, they should know better than to have a mat at the front door that said “Welcome!” in big bubbly letters. 

“Oh, hello! Welcome to  _ We Bloom _ , can I help you find anything?” a boy behind the front counter said politely. He looked like an actual physical child. There’s no way he was one of the Hunters Yukhei used to work with. 

“Yeah, hi,” Yukhei smiled wide and leaned against the counter, “I’m looking for something that’s particularly hard to find, I haven’t found another shop in the city that still does it,” 

“What would that be, sir?” 

Jaehyun shook his head as Yukhei struggled to tell this boy what he was looking for while the boy struggled to pick up anything he was hinting at. He must be new to the group; Yukhei obviously didn’t know him. 

“See, I’m trying to get rid of… A, uh, an  _ invasive species _ in my garden. And it’s, uh, really hard to  _ uproot _ ,” Yukhei laid it on thick. 

The boy seriously considered his gardening knowledge. “Well, you might have to start the garden over. The new planting season is starting soon, I would suggest completely tearing up the plot once the ground thaws,” 

“No, I need some  _ wooden stakes _ . I’ve heard those are going to be my best bet at keeping it at bay?” 

He hummed and suggested genuinely, “If you’re looking to label, I would actually suggest our recycled plastic stakes! They have a place you can write on them and they’re far more weatherproof than wooden ones, especially for marking in a garden. They’re right back here! Right next to our shovels, actually, I think those would help the most,” 

He walked around the counter and started to lead Yukhei around to some gardening supplies against the wall. 

“No,” Yukhei tried his damndest, he really did, “I need  _ WOOD STAKES _ . Oak wood,  _ stakes, _ ” 

“Oh, are you going to do a prairie burn? That would work well too! Make sure you let the fire department know, they like to keep track in case it gets out of hand,” 

Another boy walked out from the back room behind the front counter, equally young with fluffy hair in a slight mullet, “I heard a little bit of a commotion, Yangyang, what’s — you,” 

Yukhei spun and immediately lit up, “Renjunnie!” 

‘Renjunnie’s’ face dropped and he immediately pulled a gun from his back, pointing it straight at Yukhei. “FRONT!” he shouted. 

Immediately, other boys scurried out from the woodwork, guns in hand, surrounding Yukhei in the blink of an eye. One even had — holy shit, was that a crossbow? Jaehyun crept backwards until he was against the front window display, out of the line of fire as they circled around his friend. 

“That’s not necessary,” Yukhei sighed, hands raised in surrender, completely unfazed. 

Another boy, this one to Yukhei’s left, growled, “You’re a damn traitor, Lucas,” 

“Oh, tough shit, Jaemin! It wasn’t my fault, and guess what, I’m here now, aren’t I?” 

Jaehyun watched silently as they all stood their ground, unmoving. Not even Yukhei’s heart rate raised, which surprised Jaehyun, because if that were him he’d be panicking right about now. But, he supposed if Yukhei was at ease, then he could be too? They did look like they genuinely wanted to shoot him, but Yukhei was still grinning and laughing like they had just given each other a hug. Besides, Jaehyun figured, if he really needed to, he was pretty sure he could move fast enough to shove Yukhei out of the way if they did fire a shot. 

He took note of the nearly overpowering stench of wet dog, however. That would be cute if they had a shop dog, but now certainly wasn’t the time. In the back of his mind it registered that it was kind of upsetting that dogs smelled so gross to him now as a vampire. He loved dogs! 

“After, what, four years? Five?” a different boy asked, the one with the crossbow. 

Yukhei shrugged halfheartedly, “I mean, yeah. Come on, guys, I’ve got news and a new job. Tell me you’re honestly not excited to see Lucas-ge?” 

“You smell like a corpse. Don’t tell me you’re living with one of them?” 

Yukhei turned to face the boy who just spoke. “Only one of them? Jeno, I’m disappointed in you. I just spent the week living with, like, six of them. One is my mate,” he dropped his hands and put them in his pockets, slouching heavily, “Can we cut the shit now? Yes, I’m alone, yes, I do actually have a job — both a real one and a Hunter one for you — and I’m sorry I chose not to work in this stupid gardening shop with you and left to be a Pre-K teacher,” 

Renjun (that’s gotta be his actual name) looked at the group one by one then nodded. They all dropped their weapons. “If that’s the best apology we’re gonna get, I guess we have to take it,” 

Like a switch flipped, they all immediately smiled and moved to greet Yukhei like their big brother. They hugged and clapped each others backs and laughed like they weren’t just pointing their guns at each other. 

“Lucas-ge,” a Chinese man pushed the boy they met first forward, “Meet Yangyang! He’s our newest member, joined us last year,” 

“Nice to meet you, Yangyang!” he said warmly, “How are you liking these idiots?” 

“They’re ok, I guess,” he smiled only a little shyly, “You’re lucky that you don’t have to live with them anymore,” 

The boy who pointed out the smell of vampire (Jeno?) sneezed and grumbled. “Seriously, Lucas, you smell like the dead,” as he took a step toward Yukhei, he stopped and smelled the air, “Actually… I smell someone else too,” 

Yukhei cleared his throat, “Nope! Just me!” 

Jeno sniffed the air like a bloodhound and wandered towards the front door. 

“Lucas…” Renjun warned. 

“Absolutely no one with me!” 

“He has a bloodsucker with him,” Jeno announced, growl in his throat, “But I can’t see him,” 

Jaehyun didn’t move. He didn’t make a sound, didn’t shift his weight, didn’t even let his body shake. He transformed into an invisible marble statue, praying this guy couldn’t find him. 

“Ok, fine!” Yukhei exclaimed, “But you’ve gotta promise not to hurt him! He’s my best friend!” 

Jeno stopped inches away from Jaehyun’s face. They all turned back to face Yukhei. 

Someone else asked, bewildered, “You brought a vampire to your group of ex-Hunter friends? What are you, stupid?” and reached out to smack him upside the head. 

“Hey!” Yukhei whined, rubbing his head, ”It’s your own damn fault for having that welcome mat out front, let him walk right in,” 

Another boy grumbled, “I knew that was a bad idea,” 

“Shut up,” said someone else, “Vampires are allowed to have gardens too,” 

“Jaehyunnie?” Yukhei sang, looking in completely the wrong direction from him, “Come on out? They won’t shoot you, I promise,” he added with a glare at ‘Renjunnie.’ 

He inched his way out from between Jeno and the wall, trying not to cough at the overwhelming wet dog stench that came from the boy. The Hunters then all gawked as he slowly faded back into view in the open space of the shop. 

“He turns invisible?” Jaemin gasped. The Chinese boy from earlier rested his hand on his gun, but didn’t say anything. 

“Well, yeah,” Yukhei shrugged, “He’s Second Gen,” 

Simultaneously, a few of the Hunters gasped in awe.

“Whoa, I haven’t seen a Second Gen yet!” 

“No way, there’s some here in the city?” 

“See? I  _ told _ you they’re cooler!” 

Yukhei cleared his throat, “Jaehyunnie, your hand,” 

“Oh,” he looked down at his hand and even though he couldn’t see the difference, he was starting to be able to feel the difference between being visible and invisible. His hand still tingled like it was frozen and asleep at the same time. He shook it out and the pins-and-needles feeling went away. Yukhei nodded proudly. 

“Everyone, meet Jaehyun. We have a job for you,” 

They all stood there awkwardly. No one moved. 

“You know,” Yukhei’s eyebrows knit together, “This would be a really good time for us to all go meet in the back office and talk things over. Very dramatic, good time for a movie jump cut? Some hero music?” 

“Uh… No?” 

“No? Hendery,  _ why _ ?” Yukhei pouted. 

“You brought a vampire to a group of Hunters!” Hendery gestured wildly to Jaehyun. “Nice to meet you, by the way,” he said quickly before turning back to Yukhei, “You want us to just take you two in, just like that?” 

“... Yes?” 

Hendery sighed and scrubbed his face with his hand. “Jaemin,” he ordered. 

Jaemin holstered his gun and took a step toward Jaehyun, hands out like he was approaching a baby deer. “Easy there,” he whispered as he took small, gentle steps toward him. 

Jaehyun watched him with thinly-veiled confusion. “Uh, can I help you?” 

Jaemin stopped just before he was within range to grab, “Greetings, O Ancient One, please pardon the intrusion,” 

“What,” 

“If you may allow me to approach, I —” 

“Yukhei, what’s happening,” he asked over the boy. 

“Just go with it,” was all Yukhei responded, hiding a laugh behind his hand. 

“— honor us with your presence, O Revered Taker of Life,” 

“What are you doing?” 

“I declare in good faith that we are armed and able to apprehend you at a moment’s notice. However, our Coven is Honorable: you will not be killed, for we respect your Soul Bonds,” 

“Jaemin,” Yukhei finally interrupted, “He’s younger than Kun,” 

Jaemin immediately straightened up and brushed out his shirt. “Ugh, thank god. Hi, I’m Jaemin. You ok with letting me ask a few questions before we really fully trust you?” he switched gears in an instant, finally talking to Jaehyun like he was an actual person. 

“What the  _ fuck _ ,” Jaehyun whispered. 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Jaemin nodded, “Alright. When did you last feed?” he took out his phone and started typing some things in the Notes app. 

Jaehyun frantically looked back and forth between Yukhei and Jaemin, but Yukhei had already moved on and was talking to the other Hunters once more. “This morning?” 

“Cool, pre-packaged or live?” 

“Uh, live, I guess?” 

“Was it consensual?” 

“Not on my end,” he glared at Yukhei, laughing with his old friends while he got grilled in the corner. 

Jaemin looked up from his phone, “Was it Lucas? He does that. Alright, let me see your Blood Card?” 

Oh he completely forgot that was a thing. “I don’t have one?” 

“What? How do you not have one, it’s fucking 2020,” he groaned, “What Coven are you in? We’ve gotta get you registered before you keep galavanting about the city with this idiot,” 

“It’s my first time out of the house today, actually?” 

Jaemin lit up. “Whoa, really? When were you turned? Wait, actually, let me see your fangs,” he crowded into Jaehyun’s face and pushed his lip up, just like Yukhei did that morning. 

“Exchuse me,” he tried to push the boy away but he was tenacious. Jaemin did something, brushed his gums in such a way that made his fangs slide out without blood even being present. 

“Hey guys, look! He’s barely a week old! His fangs are so cute!” 

Immediately the Hunters abandoned Yukhei and rushed to see Jaehyun’s fangs. 

“Oh my god, they’re so tiny! He’s a baby!” they cooed. 

“Not you too!” Jaehyun groaned, “I swear, I’m a grownass adult,” 

Yukhei let them poke and prod Jaehyun for a moment, not even hiding his laughter, before he stepped in and thankfully let Jaehyun close his mouth. 

“Come on, guys, let’s go talk. Doyoung is missing,” 

The room fell silent. 

“Doyoung’s missing?” Jaemin said softly. 

“You know him?” 

Jaemin nodded at Renjun, “We’re donors for his Coven,” 

Jaehyun genuinely could not understand how this band of Hunters would be donors for his coven and also, you know, Hunters. It also completely befuddled him how quickly they took him into the fold. 

They closed up shop for the night, not like they had much business in the dead of winter anyway, and left for the house they all seemingly shared. Yukhei, or Lucas as they called him, seemed right at home, even helping himself to the food in their fridge, although that wasn’t new. They only teased Jaehyun a little bit before letting him in their house, although he was actually just as curious as they were to see what would happen if he didn’t have permission. 

Turns out, he just bounced ineffectively against the entryway as if there were a glass door in front of him. 

The group of Hunters, for as accepting as they were, were also a strange group to be around. Jaehyun was getting a little fed up with being thrown into new social circles he didn’t know. First Doyoung’s coven and now this? 

For one thing, Jeno was a werewolf. That was startling. Jaehyun hadn’t even known werewolves existed, let alone were friends with Hunters. Or maybe that was just Jeno? Jaehyun wasn’t sure. The next thing he learned very soon after, as Jeno was quick to remind, was that Jaemin and Renjun were both his mates. 

“God, just wait until Kun-ge gets home,” Renjun shook his head, “He’s gonna be devastated,” 

Jaemin sighed, “He loves Doyoung so much,” 

“Well, of course he does, he’s been with them longest. Doyoung won’t even feed from us yet,” 

“Jaehyun,” Jaemin looked at him, “Has Doyoung fed from you yet?” 

“He can feed from me? Uh, no, I’ve only ever been bit when I was turned,” 

Jamein clicked his tongue, “Damn shame. I’ve heard he’s the best at it. And of course his venom’s gonna be good,” 

“Anyone want anything to drink?” Renjun asked in the kitchen, “Sorry, Jaehyun, but we don’t have any prepackaged blood. Do you want something else to drink, though? Or technically Jaemin and I work for you, we can put it on Doyoung’s tab,” 

“No, thank you,” Jaehyun stood awkwardly in the dining room-slash-weapons storage. The Hunters’ house was unique, to say the least. 

Crossbows and swords decorated the walls as if they were works of art, along with newspaper clippings or more recent printouts of online articles all about “mysterious disappearances.” It made Jaehyun very uncomfortable. 

Jaemin, meanwhile, threw his feet up on the kitchen table and leaned back in the chair. “I was at the house like a week and a half ago. I’ve just been super busy so I couldn’t go in lately, but I did get Doyoung’s text last week saying to, like, be careful or something. Didn’t even know he had a new baby in the group,” 

“Doyoung’s a sweetie,” Renjun smacked Jaemin’s feet off the table, “I don’t think he even knows we’re Hunters,” 

“I can guarantee you no one does,” Yukhei snorted, “I told Jungwoo you were my old friends and he nearly died on the spot,” 

“Jungwoo’s always so nice about feeding,” Renjun smiled a little dreamily. 

“I don’t think I’ve had him yet,” Jaemin thought for a second, “But Sicheng is my favorite. He’s such a softie, he’s so nervous,” 

“Can we stop jerking off about your vampire lovers?” Jeno snapped, “I’m already on edge because we have one in the house,” 

“You’re just jealous that your boyfriends aren’t talking about you,” Xiaojun, the last of the group to be introduced to Jaehyun, snorted as well. He also seemed far too young to be a Hunter, but oh well. “I gotta get me signed up to be a Donor too, you guys make good money,” 

Jeno growled at Xiaojun in a way that Jaehyun hoped was playful, and based on Xiaojun’s laugh, it was. 

Renjun took a seat at the head of the kitchen table, signaling everyone else to come sit as well. “Ok, come on, we’ve got a job here now. And it’s about a vamp we  _ know _ is good,” 

“Where’s Kun?” Yukhei asked, bringing a plate of food to the table. 

“He’s got clinicals. He’s only part-time with Doyoung’s coven, too,” 

Yukhei hummed, “Oh yeah, I think I remember Donghyuck saying something about that. Damn, almost a doctor!” 

Oh my god, Jaehyun was going to  _ lose _ his  _ fucking mind _ . How were they all sitting here, talking so casually when Doyoung — and countless other vampires — were missing! 

Just as he was about to ask Yukhei to step to the side with him so they could get some  _ priorities _ figured out, Renjun got a call. 

“Hold up, guys. Hello? … Yes. Yes. … We’ll be there,” the call took less than 30 seconds and he placed the phone down on the table. It was a flip phone, obviously used for something not entirely legal. 

“Do we have another one?” Xiaojun asked while Yukhei shoved another mouthful of food into his face like he wouldn’t get the chance to eat again. 

Renjun nodded. “Rogue, last spotted on Fourth and Settlement. Lucas, I hope you’re not rusty,” 

Yukhei just grinned. “Just like old times?” 

“You’ve always been the best at it. Just hope these few years haven’t slown you down,” 

“Pfft, if anything working with kids has made me faster. Do you know how fast a toddler goes when you ask what they’ve got in their mouth?” Yukhei stood and moved to bring his plate to the sink, stopping to clap Jaehyun on the shoulder. “Ready to be a Hunter? Might not get another chance. Gear up with the boys,” 

“What?” Jaehyun stumbled getting out of his chair at the table, “No, no, I’m not a Hunter, what?” 

The boys ran out of the kitchen like a team of firefighters; everything in the house was placed with the express purpose of efficiency to get them out as soon as possible. 

“It’s either that or house-sit on your own and explain to Kun who you are when he gets back,” Jeno threw him an earpiece and a battery pack, “That’s got a GPS in it too, not that we ever thought we’d need it, Mr. Invisible Man. But you and I don’t need any weapons, we’re stronger than any Rogue out there could possibly be,” 

Jeno’s smile reminded Jaehyun vividly of the look a proud wolf had as he cornered the prize sheep in the pen. 


	11. red blood and red eyes

_“You’re clear down Lily Ave,”_ Yangyang’s voice crackled in Jaehyun’s ear. 

_“Damn, it’s nice to have these,”_ Yukhei responded over the earpiece as well, _“Guess I have missed a lot, haven’t I? How’s Bonneparte looking?”_

_“No sign of activity,”_ the youngest answered. 

Jaehyun followed Jaemin silently as they crept their way down the dimly-lit city street, listening to the team chatter in their ears. Yangyang guided the team through the back alleyways as they covered the area after getting access to the CCTV feed, parked in the Hunters’ van a few blocks down, safe from any action. 

It had just rained. The dark city streets smelled like the ozone from the air and from car exhaust. As they slunk along, their footsteps pattered when they went through a puddle, echoing off the tall brick walls looming over them. The air was too still, like it couldn’t decide if it wanted to release a maelstrom wind or relent and let the cold take over to seep into their bones. 

Jaehyun almost wished he was back in the van with Yangyang. He was behind Jaemin, yes, but he didn’t have any sort of weapon on him. Not even a knife. _‘You’ll hurt yourself,’_ Jaemin had said, loading his gun and slinging a bandolier over his shoulder, _‘That’s silver,’_

“I know not to touch the blade part, at least,” Jaehyun grumbled to himself now. 

_“What was that?”_ Yukhei asked, _“Jaehyunnie, did you say something?”_

Jaemin answered for him, crouching behind a particularly pungent dumpster. “He’s still complaining that he doesn’t get a weapon,” 

_“Better than Jeno,_ ” Renjun shot back. Jeno barked off in the distance, echoing through the alleyways. _“Ok, ok, sorry! You’re totally capable on your own!”_

_“Don’t clog the earpiece,”_ Hendery grumbled, _“We have these to keep in contact about the hunt, not to chat,”_

_“Yes, mom,”_ Yukhei snickered. 

Jaehyun heard Hendery start to take a breath to argue again before he hissed out a “Wait,” 

Jaemin turned to him, back against the wall, on guard. “What?”

“I hear something, but I don’t know what it is,” 

All these sounds were crossing wires in Jaehyun’s brain he didn’t know he had before, and honestly he probably didn’t have before. But, thanks to his new vampire senses, Jaehyun heard someone, or something, breathing heavily like it was suffocating. A terrible wheezing, whistling, _gurgling_ noise. 

He rose to a crouch and nodded for Jaemin to follow him. He knew he was shit at tracking and Jaemin was probably much better, but the human couldn’t hear it yet. He had to get him to a place where he could take over. 

They crept down the alley and down the block, Yangyang narrating to the rest of the group as they went. 

“I hear it too,” Jaemin finally whispered, “Jeno, get over here,” 

_“Fifth and Faraway,”_ Yangyang told the group. 

Jaemin held out an arm to keep Jaehyun behind him then cocked his gun. They slunk behind a shabby restaurant and down the alleyway between the dingy apartment buildings. The streetlight on the larger road closest to them flickered, buzzing like a swarm of flies on a rotting carcass. 

Hunched in a corner behind a garage, a figure shivered wildly like it was seizing. It crouched low to the ground, balancing on the balls of its feet, back to the dimly lit alleyway. 

On the other side of the alley, a large snow-white dog stalked its way into the narrow strip. Jeno was here. 

“Jaemin,” Jaehyun had a bad feeling he couldn’t quite shake. He didn’t want the human to get any closer, not when he himself could hear Jaemin’s heart thump steadily and could smell the metallic blood coursing through his veins. Jaehyun had eaten recently. There was no way to tell how long it had been since this thing ate. No way to tell how alluring Jaemin’s scent was to it. 

“If you can hear me,” Jaemin announced, voice strong and clear, “I need you to put your hands on top of your head. I am armed with silver and prepared to take action,” he took slow, silent steps towards the shaking creature. 

For a heartbeat, neither of them moved. 

The creature whirled into a crouch, facing Jaemin with a snarl. Its teeth stretched too far past its mouth, puncturing its lips on either side. It looked like an anglerfish sat where its teeth should be. Sickly, rotten blood leaked from its pierced flesh, soaking the lower half of its face in blood and drool and venom. 

Its eyes glowed red in a way Jaehyun thought for a moment he had only ever seen eyes like those in horror movies, but a terrible memory struck him. 

The bathroom of _7th Sense_. He had seen those eyes before. Glowing red eyes, shining like a wild animal’s in the dark, just over his shoulder before the burning, fiery pain. 

This was one of the creatures that attacked him. 

With a guttural cry, it leapt and stretched taloned hands out toward Jaemin, maw gaping. Those teeth were the ones that sunk into his shoulder. 

Jaehyun lunged. 

Shoving Jaemin to the side, he didn’t stop to think about if he would be alright with the force of that push. The human was just _too slow_ for this thing, but he wasn’t. He took Jaemin’s place in a flash and caught the creature at the shoulders, slamming it to the ground. 

It stood and snarled again, spittle flying everywhere, but it had a one-track mind. Eat. As it spun to Jaemin, now getting himself into a sitting position in slow-motion, Jaehyun tackled it to the ground, slamming his shoulder into its back hard. 

Jeno appeared a moment later, latching his jaws onto the creature’s arm and yanking it far from Jaemin. It yowled and slashed at him, catching the wolf on the top of the head, but he didn’t let go. 

Jaehyun surged forward again, trying to grab onto the creature and keep it from slicing at Jeno, but it swung and collided with Jaehyun’s head, smacking him backwards. 

“Hold!” Yukhei shouted. Jaehyun got to his feet and saw the group of Hunters had surrounded the creature, weapons at the ready, waiting for Jeno to keep it still long enough to be shot. They stood a far distance away and most had crossbows at the ready, if not guns. 

“Now!” 

Jeno dashed away from the creature’s side as Xiaojun and Hendery fired a crossbow and a gun. A wooden stake struck the thing in the leg, pinning it to the dirt, while the gunshot rang out as a bullet ripped its way through its arm. It screeched in pain, although it wavered back and forth between clutching its arm or going to its leg, where the thin wooden bolt had pierced the meat of its calf and kept it pinned to the ground at an awkward angle. 

Half a second later, no more than a blink, Renjun fired a crossbow as well, although the bolt in this exploded in midair. A fisherman’s net took its place, spreading out across the creature. It screamed as the net touched its skin, forcing it to the ground and trapping it there. 

A vile mix of blood, venom, and pus leaked slowly from the creature’s wounds into the sad patch of grass below. 

Panting heavily, the Hunters lowered their weapons, but didn’t put them away. 

“Lucas, would you like to do the honors?” Renjun held out a small handgun he had at his side. 

“Gladly,” he took the gun. Glaring down the barrel, Lucas fired and shot the creature dead in the chest. 

It went still. 

Jaehyun held his breath as he joined the circle. They sat and watched it for a moment, just to make sure it really wasn’t moving, before fully lowering their weapons. 

“Great job, guys! That was sick,” Xiaojun grinned. 

“Easiest one we’ve done yet,” Hendery clapped him on the shoulder. 

Renjun and Jaemin crouched next to Jeno, checking over his scratch. Well, not so much of a crouch as it was a lean, since Jeno even sitting down in his wolf form was above waist height. 

“It’s not bad, babe, but we should clean it as soon as we can,” 

Jeno whined and gave them both the biggest puppy dog eyes Jaehyun had ever seen. But, upon catching sight of Jaehyun, he perked up and started wagging his tail furiously. His mates looked over in sync then smiled. 

“Jaehyun!” Renjun grinned, “We owe you one. Thanks for looking out for Jaemin,” 

Jaemin shrugged, “You’re not bad in my book, I guess.” Jeno stretched his neck out to lick Jaehyun’s hand. “Oh, and he says nice moves,” 

He hesitantly reached out to pet the huge white wolf, not sure if it was rude to do so or not. When he reacted the same as any dog would to being pet, Jaehyun let himself relax a little and laugh. Who knew the intimidating boy from earlier could be this big puffball? 

“Yangie,” Yukhei caught everyone’s attention, “Bring the van back here. We’ve gotta load him up before he wakes up,” 

“He’s not dead?” Jaehyun puzzled. 

“We don’t kill unless we have to,” Yukhei said solemnly, “We’re bringing him back to the house to see what we can learn,” 

“What did you shoot him with then?” 

“A sedative. We’ve got maybe a half hour at the least, longer if his system doesn’t burn through it too fast,” 

Their black van pulled up the far side of the alleyway. Hendery and Xiaojun moved to pick up the rogue’s body, but Renjun interrupted. 

“No! Get gloves first! Kun isn’t here but he would kill you if you touch that diseased thing,” 

The boys all groaned and shuffled to the van, pulling out tarps, face masks, and gloves. Professionally, they wrapped it in a body bag, making sure any mystery liquids were cleaned, and loaded it into the van. 

“Jeno, why don’t you turn back to help us lift this thing?” Jaemin whined. Jeno gave a huff and Jaemin rolled his eyes, “Jaehyun doesn’t care if you’re naked! You’re gorgeous, what’s it to him? C’mon, you’re the strong one here,” 

Jeno barked, making Renjun laugh, Jaemin pout, and the rest of the group continue on as if they weren’t having a conversation. This must be something about being mates, Jaehyun supposed, where they could speak to each other telepathically. He wondered distantly what the similarities were between a werewolf’s mating bond and a vampire’s Soul Bond. 

“You didn’t hurt your paw!” Jaemin whined even louder, “You got scratched on the head! That’s no excuse! … Oh, that’s bullshit!” 

Renjun giggled as they closed up the back of the van. The Hunters then peeled off all of their clean-up gear and dumped it in the trash bins behind them. 

“Alright, let’s --” 

Jaehyun fell to the ground. 

_Screams._

_Being pulled limb from limb._

_The burn of silver._

_Thick slices up and down his legs, arms, burning like acid._

_He’s in a metal box. One exit. Locked shut. Guards._

_Doyoung._

_Doyoung is in pain._

“Jaehyun!”

_Sore. His body is sore. Sore from being beaten to a pulp, punched when he wouldn’t answer questions how they wanted him to answer. Hit when he didn’t know._

_So weak._

_Poison flooding his system._

_Fear._

_Doyoung is afraid._

Jaehyun’s eyes snapped open. He was laying on the floor of the alleyway. He wasn’t in pain. But Doyoung was. 

“Jaehyun! What happened?” Yukhei was at his side, helping him sit up. 

Heaving in deep breaths, Jaehyun couldn’t string words together properly. “Doyoung, I saw, I felt, he’s --” 

Yukhei looked at the other Hunters. “We need to go back to HQ. Now,” 

The drive back thankfully was uneventful. They brought the van around to the back of the house and carried the limp creature into the basement. The entire time, Jaehyun felt phantom pains from his image of Doyoung while his jaw actually ached from where he had been hit. He occasionally saw Yukhei rub his jaw as well and hoped his friend didn’t get hurt.

They walked up the stairs from the basement to find Jungwoo sitting across the counter from another man who stood in the kitchen. 

“Jungwoo?” Jaehyun gasped. 

“Hi, Jaehyunnie,” he greeted. 

Yukhei ran up the stairs and passed him in a second, seemingly not surprised Jungwoo was here at all. 

“Ugh, I’m so glad you’re here. You’ve gotta see this thing,” he sighed into Jungwoo’s neck, wrapping nearly all of the small man in a hug. 

“Speaking of,” the other man interrupted, “I come home from a long day at the hospital to a vampire on my front step and something in the basement? AND someone I haven’t seen in years? You have some explaining to do, Lucas,” 

“Kun-ge!” he leapt up to give Kun a hug as well. Kun didn’t look the least bit surprised at that, either. 

Everyone else filtered up the stairs as well, greeting Kun warmly and introducing themselves to Jungwoo. 

“I’m serious! What did we catch? It’s not a vampire, I heard,” 

“How’d you hear?” Xiaojun flopped on the couch, shoes still on. 

Kun walked over to smack his legs, “My favorite child told me,” 

“His ‘favorite child’ got threatened,” Yangyang corrected, setting down his bag of tech. 

“Lovingly!” Kun argued. 

“It’s fuckin’ creepy is what it is,” Jaemin piped in. Jeno and Renjun joined him a minute later, Jeno back in his human form and fully dressed. Now that he had seen both human and wolf Jeno, Jaehyun could absolutely see the similarities between them; Jeno smiled the same in both forms, it was adorable. 

He announced, “It’s chained down, but starting to wake up a little. I’d say we have another ten minutes,” 

Kun sighed, “Great! You’ve got eight minutes to tell me what the fuck you have,” 

“Hopefully Jungwoo can tell us?” Yukhei looked at his mate pleadingly. 

Jungwoo just shrugged, “You’re on your own, babe,” 

“Fuck,” 

Hendery pulled out a small notebook and began reading aloud. “‘Elongated fangs, glowing red eyes, claws extending from its fingers...” 

Jungwoo straightened his back. 

“... Non verbal, bodily fluids have a uniquely deathly smell,’” 

“Tell me about it,” Jeno grumbled, “You didn’t have it in your mouth,” 

“You bit the damn thing?” Kun exclaimed, “What on earth were you thinking!” 

Jeno scrambled out of the kitchen and into the living room with Kun hot on his tail. His mates joined in the chase and the atmosphere immediately dissolved. 

Jaehyun walked up to Jungwoo, finally saying hi. 

“You don’t look so good,” was all Jungwoo said back to him. 

“I...No. I’m not. I just felt Doyoung,” 

Jungwoo and Yukhei both looked like they understood exactly what he meant. 

“Well,” Yukhei brushed off his pants and clapped his large hands, “Shall we go greet our guest? C’MON, TEAM!” 

Everyone excitedly filed down the stairs to the basement. Jaehyun couldn’t help but feel a prickle at the back of his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've set the work as 20 chapters, which means we're about halfway done! i THINK that'll be the total length? i'll be able to change it if it turns out longer tho! 
> 
> we're gonna start getting answers hard and fast from here on out, but let me know if you need anything explained!
> 
> i love these stupid babies they're just so dumb [sobbing]


	12. chains and ribbons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning this one is graphic!! (also a little short but hey a lot happens in it)

Jaehyun wanted to believe it was pitiful and helpless. They had the creature restrained in a chair with silver cuffs at its hands and feet, chains resting heavily on its body, and it was still under the influence of the sedative Yukhei shot it with, but Jaehyun didn’t believe it. He could almost hear the fire that ran through its veins instead of anything a regular creature — vampire or not — would have. He knew this thing was something none of them had ever seen before. 

It gurgled as it woke up. Head lolling, strings of blood and spit and venom dangling from its spine-like teeth. Its wounds from earlier had been patched, the oak stake removed and the bullet hole both wound tightly to stop the bleeding, but there was nothing they could do for the patchwork the creature had made of its lips already. Whenever it closed its mouth, the teeth sunk through a new spot on its lips if they didn’t slip through a hole that was already there. Its sunken eyes rolled in its head, red and yellow irises rolling around in their sockets like a pinball. It jerked against the cuffs, not even registering the silver hissing against its skin. 

They had it locked in a room, much like an interrogation room in a jail. Jaehyun and Jungwoo stood outside, watching, while Hendery and Yukhei — no, Lucas, — stood inside. He could tell Jungwoo wanted nothing more than to join his mate, but there was no way he would be able to get in the vampire-proof room. Even without the silver lining the door, it was still surrounded by crucifixes, the wood was stained with monkshood, and they had even installed an irrigation pipeline to have a circle of running water surrounding the room. There was virtually no way in or out unless a vampire was unconscious and moved there by one of the Hunters. 

The rest of the hunters stood either with them or watching the CCTV from the camera inside. The audio was up loud enough that they could all hear. 

The creature gurgled then howled, thrashing about in the chair.

“You may as well stop,” Lucas shrugged, picking at his nails, “You’re not going anywhere,” 

The creature looked at him and held still for a moment, then continued thrashing. 

“You can’t feel the silver on your wrists?” Hendery asked genuinely, “You can’t feel it burning your flesh?” 

The creature spoke for the first time. Its voice rasped like it had drank nothing but sand for the past years. “Don’t… Care,” 

Lucas pushed up from against the wall and began circling, “It speaks! C’mon, bub, we’ve got some questions for you,” 

It hissed but stopped struggling now that it had to pay attention to two different targets. 

“How old are you?” 

“Dead,” it answered. 

“Yeah, we get that you’re dead,” Lucas rolled his eyes, “But how long ago were you turned? A month? A year? You’re too bloodthirsty, too violent to _not_ be a fledgling,” 

Hendery reframed the question, “How long have you been like this?” 

Its voice shrieked like metal grating on metal. “Two,” 

“Two what?” 

“Nights,” 

Lucas and Hendery looked at each other then Lucas looked up at the camera, giving a small nod. Outside the room, Renjun took notes diligently. 

“Two nights and you’ve already run away from your Sire? Wow, you’re a little rebel, aren’t you?” 

“Sire?” the question rattled in its throat. Its waxy skin stretched taut as it moved its head side to side, exposing either side of its neck. “No Sire,” There were no bite marks. 

Lucas scoffed. “What do you mean, ‘no sire’? You were turned, someone turned you,” 

That activated something primal in the creature’s mind. It yowled and struggled, blood bubbles forming in the holes in its lips as it shrieked, “ _DEMONS! EVIL! TORTURERS!”_

Yangyang stood to run to the room, but Kun gently pressed him back into his chair. They kept watching. 

“‘Demons’? As in more than one?” Hendery crouched to be at the creature’s level though he was nowhere near close enough to it to matter. 

Jaehyun was glad the chair was bolted into the floor or else it would have tipped over. The being shook violently and hissed, straining at the restraints. 

“KIDNAPPERS! STEALERS!” it spat. It flexed its hands, claws sinking into the wood of the chair with nowhere else to go, “Taken, they took, _made us_ ,” 

“‘Made’ you? What does that mean?” 

Jungwoo shivered next to him while an idea struck Jaemin. He pressed a button and leaned in close to the screen, “Check for track marks,” 

Lucas nodded and gave a few gestures to Hendery. He understood immediately and moved to a backpack nestled in the corner by the door. He grabbed a syringe and moved to the vampire’s side while Lucas distracted it, shouting directly into its face to expose one side of its neck once more. 

Jaehyun’s stomach curled at whatever Lucas was saying, feeling like he was digesting himself from the inside, although he couldn’t make out what was being said. Jungwoo looked like he was going to physically combust. 

“‘... And forgive us our trespasses, as we may forgive those who trespass against us!’” Lucas bellowed into the creature’s face. It, too, recoiled and curled in on itself as much as possible. 

Lucas stopped after he finished the entire Our Father. 

“Fuck, sorry,” Yangyang rushed to help the vampires up, “Completely forgot you two were… Well, forgot you were vamps,” 

Jungwoo recovered quickly and shook his head out, thanking Yangyang before silently turning back to the window. Jaehyun, however, trembled like a leaf. Yangyang guided him to a chair watching the monitor so he could sit down. 

“What did they inject him with?” he asked once he was sitting. Kun leaned over to give his shoulder a comforting squeeze. 

“Dead man’s blood,” Jeno answered. 

At the window, Jungwoo flinched. 

The rogue stopped struggling. Its head lolled against its shoulder, tongue pressing up against the cage of teeth. It slouched in the chair, restraints and chains the only things keeping it seated. 

“There we go,” Lucas hummed, “Now. Can you hear me?” 

“... Yes,” it spluttered. 

“Good. Let’s try this again. You said you were not turned, but ‘made’? Tell me, what does that mean?” 

“ _Infected._ They…” it took a wheezing breath, fluid gargling in the back of its throat, “ _Injected,_ ” 

Hendery stood at the ready while Lucas pulled a small knife from his pocket and carefully cut its sleeve above the elbow. He ripped the scraps of fabric off to reveal more sickly skin, but this time it was littered with red dots, like he had been eaten alive by bugs. Some had bruised, one or two had scabbed over, but the rest sat there like little red army ants, scoping out space for a new colony. 

“Holy shit,” Xiaojun whispered. 

“It was injected with venom,” Hendery announced, “There was no sire, it’s not even _turned_ . It really is _infected_ with venom,”

Jaehyun looked at all the Hunters in the room, “You mean… Someone’s _making_ these things?” No one answered him. He didn’t need an answer anyway. They all knew. 

“Kun,” Lucas addressed without moving, “Get your medkit. Get in here,” 

Kun moved without a word. He grabbed a small bag on the table and rushed to the room. Jaehyun watched on the monitor as Lucas and Kun muttered to each other before Kun started to take its vitals. 

“Heart rate 135. Temperature is… 105.7? Fuck,” he narrated, “It’s dying, it’s gotta be,” 

Lucas grabbed it by the hair and forced it to look at him. “Where? Where were you taken? Are there others? Why?” 

It started slowly, the laughter. It looked at Lucas after a moment, eyes eventually finding his, before it laughed low in its throat. Before long, it was cackling, delirious. 

“Bonds taste _so good!_ Better, better than humans! Better than _dogs,_ ” it spat. 

Lucas reeled backwards, hand on the gun at his hip, other arm outstretched to move Hendery and Kun back. 

“No human blood, weren’t given any. No, too good for _us. Bonded_ blood, that’s all we get! Only thing we know to look for!” 

“Renjun!” Hendery called. Renjun scribbled every word furiously. 

It rolled its head from shoulder to shoulder, coughing up blood but not even caring. “Let us go! We will find them! We will find the Bonded, _eat them._ Stop more Bonded from killing us,” 

Lucas shoved Hendery and Kun out of the door before grabbing the backpack and following a moment after. They sealed the door behind them and came to watch from the safety of the outside. 

It continued on its monologue, unaware of anyone ever having been in the room. Jaehyun saw it staring at something off to the side, but he couldn’t tell what. Not until he looked at it through the mirror. 

Its lifeless red and yellow eyes followed Lucas and Jungwoo’s every movement behind the mirror like a chameleon’s: one tracked Jungwoo, one tracked Lucas. It continued to cackle. 

“Told to eat _you_ , dropped off where it _smelled_ the most. Bondeds _reek_ , stink up their territory. We are made to _clean_. Bottom feeders, us. Rid the world of the _trash_ so the rest can _thrive_ ,” 

It started shaking in the seat even harder than last time. Its muscles were seizing. Blood trailed down its neck and coated its throat and chest. Its teeth ripped clean through its lips like knives, leaving them bloody ribbons flapping against its needle-like teeth. 

“You smell so good…” it began to trail off but its eyes never left Jungwoo or Lucas, “I… Enjoyed… Eating your friends,” 

It slumped in the chair for the last time. Blood still trickled out from its wounds. 

Jaehyun threw himself to the side and retched.


	13. smoke and stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD A NEW CHAPTER YES IM HERE AND IM ALIVE HELLO AGAIN!! 
> 
> this chapter was HARD to write simply because i got writers block but i think im back on my bullshit

Lucas and Jeno brought the body outside to burn it. 

The city would never see this missing person as anything more than that: a missing person. There was no way to find the identity of whoever this person was before they were attacked. Even if there was a way for the police to find the identity of who it was, the Hunters could never in good conscience return the body in this condition. It was mangled and rotting, nearly unrecognizable as something that was once human. 

Jaehyun sat at the table, head in his hands. How many others? How many other people had this happened to, they woke up without any idea of who they were or what they had become, overwhelmed with that instinct to… To  _ eat? _

But at the same time, he knew what that felt like. The insatiable hunger, the knowledge that he would get the blood he so desperately craved no matter the cost. Doyoung had even told him he ran into the sunlight when he first woke up. He risked suicide for the chance to eat, and he was practically sober compared to these beings. 

“What was that?” Renjun whispered, collapsing into a chair at the dining room table with Jaehyun. He looked like he was about to pass out. 

Jaemin took his notebook from him and started reading. “It’s  _ fucked _ is what it is,” 

Lucas and Jeno came back into the house from the backyard. Jungwoo immediately rushed to his Soul Bond while Jaemin and Renjun dropped everything to run to their mate. 

“You smell nasty,” Jungwoo complaned. 

“Smells worse outside,” Lucas groaned, melting into Jungwoo’s hug. He slowly turned back into the Yukhei that Jaehyun knew. 

Jeno, visibly shaken by what they saw downstairs, wrapped his mates in his arms and refused to let go. Renjun and Jaemin looked perfectly used to it. 

“That was a Feral,” Yukhei announced. 

“You know what it was?” Hendery ushered Xiaojun to the table as well and gave his back a pat or two. 

“Jungwoo might know better than I do, but I’ve seen them once before. With my grandpa,” 

Immediately, everyone in the room fell silent and averted their eyes. Was this the same grandpa that Sicheng met in Hong Kong? Jaehyun had never heard any of these stories before; Yukhei didn’t talk about his childhood much. 

Whoever his grandfather was, he certainly had an impact on the Hunters and vampires alike. Jungwoo did everything he could to not tear a hole in Yukhei’s shirt with how hard he balled it in his fists. Kun swallowed hard and sat down. Xiaojun looked a little awestruck while Yangyang just looked confused. 

“Wait, what’s happening?” Yangyang asked. Jaehyun remembered he was the youngest and he joined after Yukhei left. 

“Lucas’s grandfather is Hunter Wong,” Kun answered solemnly. 

Yangyang immediately had stars in his eyes. “No way!  _ The _ Hunter Wong? I read his notes! He’s such a --” 

“He killed hundreds of us,” Jungwoo interrupted. 

Yangyang shut his mouth. 

Yukhei stood at the head of the table and leaned on it heavily, shoulders slumped and palms flat on the surface. “Ferals aren’t vampires, but they’re also not humans. They’re stuck in limbo. They haven’t been fully turned,” 

“What does that mean?” Hendery asked, “How can there be a midway point? Isn’t it just the vampire drains the victim of blood and gives them their venom?” 

Jungwoo’s perfect posture was the only sign of how offended he was at those words. “No, it’s much more complicated than that. Turning is a very purposeful thing. The Sire chooses their  _ Childe _ with intent,” he stared Hendery in the eye as he corrected his terminology, “There’s the physical transformation, yes, but the most essential part of the Turn is the mental bonds,” 

“Like your Soul Bonds?” Renjun asked. 

“Not necessarily. My first Childe wasn’t Bonded to me at all,” Jungwoo shook his head, “That’s why I’m still alive, I suppose,” 

Jaehyun’s heart broke. Jungwoo had a Childe before Donghyuck, before Sicheng? Who knew how long ago that was, but that must mean his first Childe died. Or was killed. 

Jungwoo cleared his throat and looked up, “There has to be a connection. While the Childe isTurning, it is up to the Sire to anchor their soul here. Humans are complete on their own, but vampires are designed to be connected to each other. We’re made to be incomplete without a coven.” 

Jeno nodded understandingly, “Like a pack,” 

Jungwoo glanced his way, “Exactly. A bit of the Sire lives on in the Childe, and a bit of the Childe is held safe with the Sire,” 

They fell silent, unsure of what to say to that. Yukhei took over, “A Feral doesn’t have that connection. They’ve gone through the entire process of being physically turned, but…” 

“They’ve lost their minds,” Jaehyun spoke up for the first time since they came upstairs. He remembered when he first woke up. He was willing to tear the house apart to find what he wanted, was willing to attack Doyoung, until… 

Until he felt Doyoung, that is. Doyoung felt safe. His voice cracked through the fog and bloodlust, reaching Jaehyun himself somewhere under all that. 

“Exactly,” 

“So these were  _ manufactured?” _

“In a sense,” Jungwoo looked pale, even for a vampire, and Yukhei squeezed Jungwoo’s shoulder tight. “The venom is harvested then injected into them. There’s no connection. There’s not even any way to tell whose venom it is,” 

“From what I’ve heard, they happened a lot in the War,” Yukhei took over, wrapping an arm around his mate, “The side who was fighting to get rid of all the humans mass-produced these so they would have extra fighters,” 

“They fought with no remorse. They can’t feel pain,” 

The room fell silent. 

“Well fuck me,” Jaemin shook his head in awe and shock. 

“No thank you,” Jungwoo looked like he didn’t even register what Jaemin said. Yukhei snorted, startling Jungwoo. 

“Good answer,” Yukhei and Jeno both laughed. They then looked at each other and made eye contact, laughing harder. 

“What?” Jungwoo looked up in surprise, snapping out of it. 

The rest of the group started laughing too. Little by little, the mood in the room started to lighten up again. 

“So what can we do about these things?” Kun, the most business-minded of the group, asked. 

“Well, Doyoung beheaded that first one,” Yukhei shrugged. 

“And that one downstairs just died on its own, do we just have to hold them for a minute?” Xiaojun half-joked. 

“They can be killed how a regular vampire can,” Jungwoo let himself smile a little. 

Renjun smirked and elbowed Jungwoo in the side, “I like the idea of holding them. Hug them to death,” 

The way Jungwoo eased back into himself around the Hunters suddenly and vividly reminded Jaehyun that some of them were donors for his coven. They had known each other for months, if not years. They were friends. 

Kun laughed too, “Remember when Sicheng met Taeil and we swore that was how he was gonna die?” 

Jaehyun gasped, “What?” 

Jaemin screeched in joy, “It was love at first sight, I swear! He hugged Sicheng so hard his eyes were gonna pop out of his head!” 

“Taeil hugged Sicheng?” 

“Yeah, remember when he came over for you?” Jungwoo grinned, “Didn’t he bring a movie?” 

“You weren’t even there,” 

Renjun snorted, “He always brings a movie,” 

“I’m never sitting through one with him again,” Jungwoo groaned, then explained to the rest of the group, “Taeil has a strong reaction to venom. He essentially gets high for a few hours then knocks out. My baby’s gotta be in love to sit with him through a movie,” 

Xiaojun hummed, “Your baby?” 

“Hmm,” he hummed an affirmation, “I’m Sicheng’s Sire,” 

Hendery opened his mouth to say something but Xiaojun blurted out “GEGE, YOU’RE A STEP-DADDY!” 

“I -- what? No!” 

“Oh my god, Lucas is a father?” 

“They’re adults!” 

Kun shook his head, “I can’t see it. That’d be a disaster,” 

Yukhei squirmed as the team piled around him, throwing light punches and trying to get him into a headlock. “They’re older than me!” 

“Ooh,” Jaemin snorted, “That makes Jungwoo a cradle-robber! Going after someone younger than his kids?” 

The Hunters immediately switched their focus in unison to dog-pile (literally, in Jeno’s case,) on Jungwoo, clinging on like he was a jungle gym. He didn’t even sway as six grown men clambered on him. Yangyang held back, still not as familiar with the vampire as the others were, but laughed on the other side of the table. 

Yukhei meanwhile snuck away from the group and slidled up next to Jaehyun. 

“I love these guys,” he smiled fondly. Jaehyun gave him a look, clearly asking what the fuck was happening, but Yukhei answered for him before he could open his mouth. “They can tell he needs to get his mind off this shit even though they’re not his Bonds. But they know him and they know me so well that they can distract him enough to make him laugh again,” 

“They’d get along with the Coven really well,” 

“Yeah, they would,” 

Jaehyun watched as Jungwoo stumbled finally, caught off guard when Yangyang vaulted on top of him as well. He regained his balance quickly but let himself be thrown to the ground by the mismatched family. 

They tussled for another moment before it turned into Jungwoo and Jeno versus the humans, and they eventually got Jaehyun roped into it too. Jungwoo whispered tips to him on how to curb his throws every so often, little reminders that the boys were human and he wasn’t anymore, how he had to treat them like glass. It was still weird, to be reminded that he was different now, but it became easier to swallow each time. 

He was different, and even though they were all Hunters and fully capable of defending themselves, he and Jungwoo had a special responsibility to them now. Now that they knew a bit more about what they were up against, he didn’t want to take  _ any _ risks with them. He could protect them now. 

The Hunters went to bed after a few hours. They still had a floral shop to open and most of them were still in college, despite their moonlight occupation. 

“Take a walk with me?” Jungwoo asked Jaehyun late in the night, nodding out the front door. Jaehyun nodded, not even bothering to grab a jacket. Even with the snow falling gently outside, there would be no one out at this hour to question if they were cold. 

They meandered through the neighborhood for a long time in silence. It was still a habit for him to take deep breaths, just to see the little cloud form in front of him. Jungwoo, however, didn’t make a sound. He moved like an ice sculpture, gliding across the pavement. 

“Are… You ok?” Jaehyun shattered the crystalline silence as carefully as he could. 

Jungwoo nodded as they stopped at a small park in the neighborhood. 

“We have to go back to the coven,” 

“Are they ok?” Jaehyun started to panic as Jungwoo sat on a swing. 

“Yes, oh my god, yes, they’re all fine! Sorry,” he motioned for Jaehyun to sit on the swing next to him, “But we’re running out of time. You mentioned earlier that you felt Doyoung?” 

Jaehyun nodded and swallowed thickly, settling on the swing and wincing as it creaked. “Yeah. Felt what… What he was feeling,” 

“I know how that feels. Maybe not the same, but a Sire link is pretty similar to a Bond,” 

“Oh… Your Childe…” he gasped softly. 

Jungwoo nodded. “He was one of the ones taken to make these Ferals. This was still back when the world was small, when most people didn’t find their Bonds at all, if ever. I’m still amazed that we have so many in our coven alone,” 

The moonlight and streetlights mingled together on Jungwoo’s silver hair, making it gleam white and yellow at the same time. 

“Did you… Did you feel it?” 

“Yeah. All of it. Sadly, Doyoung’s been through some pretty bad times. He knows how to close off his mental abilities, keep others from feeling them. She was too new, she didn’t know yet.” 

“You went through it all,” 

“I did it all with her, yeah,” Jungwoo’s voice caught in his throat and he looked up at the stars, “Look at me, crying. It’s been 700 years and I’m still choked up,” 

Jaehyun reached out and grabbed his hand. Jungwoo smiled softly. They swung in a gentle unison. 

“We’re going to get Doyoung back. I’m gonna bring the Hunters to the Coven,” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Three of them are donors for the Coven, we know them already,”

“Alright. Let’s do it. We’ll get him back,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo guys/gals/nonbinary pals, i made a spotify playlist for this fic! its sappy and cute and if you get sad or worried about doyoung you should take a listen <3 it is a LITTLE angsty but thats ok 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/77HOKz9NQYs9vuhLRjtK3z


	14. tensions and taste-testing

“So you’re telling me,” Johnny crossed his arms. 

Jaehyun swallowed. He didn’t know Johnny too well, but the look on his face was less than welcoming. 

When the Hunters woke up the next morning, Jungwoo let the Hunters open their little flower shop like normal. He then broke the news that they were going to meet the coven that evening. That, of course, meant that they closed the shop immediately and began to pack, excited to either meet the vampires they had heard so much about or to see their friends’ reactions to learning they were Hunters. 

That evening after several raucous meals and only two arguments, Kun ushered them into the large van they used for hunts and took them to the Coven’s safehouse as per Jungwoo’s instructions. They now sat on the front stoop of a small, unassuming house just inside the suburbs, go-bags of clothes and weapons in hand, waiting to be let in. 

“You’re telling me,” Johnny repeated, “That the Donors for my Coven are  _ Hunters _ ? And now you want me to let them back in my house?  _ While _ we’re being targeted?” 

“Yes,” 

“ _ You _ , Jungwoo, are asking  _ me _ , Johnny Suh,” 

“Yeah,” he nodded as if he was completely missing what Johnny was really asking him. 

“You, Jungwoo, who challenged my leadership of this Coven and  _ lost _ , are asking me, Borne Vampyre and head of this Coven, to take in a group of people who  _ lied _ about who they were, are actively in an occupation which has harmed us for centuries, and let them into my  _ safehouse _ while we are are being  _ picked off _ ?” 

Jungwoo nodded. 

Johnny rubbed his face. He was silent for a long time. The hunters looked back and forth from each other to Jungwoo. 

“Get in here.” Johnny sighed. 

The pack shoved their way in the front door. 

They piled inside and yanked off boots and jackets, throwing bags down the split-level entry to the basement bedrooms. 

“We’re back!” Jaemin cheered, “Miss me?” he climbed the half-flight to the upper level, arms up, greeting Mark and Donghyuck plopped on the couch. 

“Whoa, what?” 

“Jaemin? Who are they?” 

Ten sat up in the chair he was perched on across the room when Jaehyun followed up the stairs. “Jaehyun? Xuxi?” He got up and rushed to them, immediately throwing himself into their arms. “What are you doing here?” 

“Taeil, you’re here too?” Jungwoo asked once he joined the rest upstairs. 

Taeil, holding Sicheng’s hand, stepped out of the hallway that presumably led to the bedrooms. “They felt I might not be safe on my own,” 

“I asked him,” Yuta announced as he walked in from the kitchen, “Whoa. I thought I smelled humans but not this many,” 

Nineteen people were too many for this average sized house. They stayed fairly segregated, the vampires and the humans. 

Yangyang shivered behind Jaehyun. 

“Hmm?” Hendery asked. 

“I just haven’t been around this many vampires before,” 

Johnny looked at Taeyong, looked back to the Hunters, and cleared his throat. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kick you out right now,” 

Kun and Jungwoo opened their mouths to give what was most likely a well-thought-out argument, but Renjun opened his mouth from the back and laughed. 

“Because you couldn’t even figure out we were Hunters and we’ve worked for you forever. What makes you think others know?” 

Johnny whipped his glare to Renjun, who only a moment later realized he just sassed his boss. The Vampyre’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. Yuta snorted in surprise. 

“I always knew I liked you, Renjunnie,” Yuta smiled. He, Mark, and Taeil looked ready to welcome their friends’ friends to the group, but two seemed a little more than uncomfortable with the idea. 

Taeyong was visibly bristling, hiding a cowering Sicheng behind him. “You’ve brought Hunters to us? What are you  _ thinking?”  _ he snarled. 

“Whoa, hey, it’s just us,” Kun stepped forward, hands up as a peace offering, “We’re here to help keep you all safe,” 

“You  _ lied, _ ” Sicheng hissed behind tears. He held on to Taeyong and Taeil for dear life, nearly vibrating in fear. 

Jaehyun had forgotten that other vampires had a less-than-fond opinion of Hunters. To him, they were just people and were now his friends, but to Sicheng… He remembered how Sicheng reacted when Yukhei said he was part of the Wong clan. There was that time in Hong Kong neither of them directly mentioned, but both knew… And apparently that was big enough for Yangyang to know it as well. He had some reading to do on vampire history, but the pain between the two groups ran deep. 

Kun took a few slow steps forward, palm still up, and began speaking in a low voice. He murmured something in Chinese, that much Jaehyun could tell, but it didn’t sound like the Chinese he was used to hearing from Yukhei. 

Sicheng heaved a deep sob, digging his fingers into Taeyong’s shirt, ripping a few holes in it. Kun kept muttering, soft delicate sounds spilling from his lips, as he took one slow step at a time toward his friend. 

Eventually, Sicheng nodded and relaxed his grip on Taeyong. He let Kun pull him lightly into a hug. 

Jaehyun stared as the two of them moved to sit in the kitchen, still murmuring quietly, the situation completely diffused. “What the fuck just happened?” 

Hendery elbowed him in the side and whispered, “When they first met, Kun put in some effort to learning Sicheng’s home dialect. They’re not from the same place, but pretty close I guess. It meant a lot to him,” 

Jaehyun nodded but that still left Taeyong bristling in anger. 

“Johnny, fucking get them out,” he hissed. Johnny didn’t move, frozen in surprise. 

“Yongie,” Ten gently stepped forward this time, letting Taeyong usher him behind himself, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Yongie, I trust Jaehyun and Xuxi with my life,” 

“They’re  _ hunters _ , Tennie, all they do is kill,” 

“And you’re a vampire, Yong, but I’ve been able to look past that. According to you, I shouldn’t even be anywhere near you,” 

He broke his gaze from the pack of Hunters and looked at Ten. “We would never hurt you,” 

“I know, hun, because I trust you,” 

This was nowhere close to the Ten Jaehyun knew last month. This Ten was in  _ love _ , he was calm and reassuring and knew the exact right moves to make to ensure Taeyong was calming down. He even waved Johnny over, knocking him out of his stupor, and walked him through how to help Taeyong calm down. 

“Baby,” Ten soothed, “You can use your Power, you know, it’s ok to ask,” 

Taeyong immediately lost all interest in the Hunters and whirled on Ten, straightening up, “No! I could never!” 

“You wouldn’t have any doubt then, would you?” 

Johnny nodded, “I’ll be watching, it’s alright,” 

He fought, “Four  _ hundred _ years, Youngho! There’s no way,” 

“It wouldn’t have to be much, just enough to taste,” 

Taeyong glowered at Johnny and turned to Ten with just as much of a sour look but more forgiveness, perhaps. 

“Fine,” he snapped, “But I won’t bite them.” Johnny just nodded in agreement. “And it can’t be one of our Donors!” 

“Sounds perfect, baby,” Ten manhandled Johnny just the slightest bit to take over the Hug Taeyong Duty and came up to the Hunters. “Can I get a volunteer to let Johnny and Taeyong drink from you? Just a little bit?” 

“Why,” Jaemin asked defensively, “Taeyong’s never drank from any of us,  _ ever _ ,” 

“His Power kinda sucks,” Ten shrugged sympathetically.

The Hunters didn’t answer. They waited for someone to say more, staring at Ten and his boyfriends, before Taeyong caved and looked pained.

“When I drink from a human, I see all their memories so long as their blood remains in my veins,” 

Jaehyun unintentionally gasped, “Is that why you’re vegan?” 

“Whoa, he’s a vegan vampire?” Yangyang immediately looked too excited about this. 

“Yeah, yeah, you can talk about it later, once we all trust each other, kid,” Yukhei groaned, “Xiaojun, it’s you or Hendery. Neither of you have to, but we’re not letting Yangie go,” 

“Why not?” 

“You’re too excited about it,” 

Xiaojun turned to Taeyong and swallowed hard. “You see all our memories?” 

Taeyong kind of looked bashful, if anything, “I mean I think so. I also haven’t drank blood in nearly four hundred years,” 

Hendery and Xiaojun looked at each other and Hendery just rolled his eyes. Xiaojun stepped forward, “I volunteer, I guess,” 

Yukhei groaned, “Ugh, I forgot you were too enthusiastic too,” 

Xiaojun let Johnny, Taeyong, and Ten lead him down the hall, presumably to a bedroom or bathroom for a little bit of privacy. 

“They better not start fucking,” Jeno grumbled. 

“Don’t worry,” Yuta finally stepped back into the living room now that all the tension had left, “Ten’s actually pretty possessive over those two,” 

“I still don’t believe it,” Yukhei grinned widely, stepping forward to bring Yuta into a bro hug. They smacked each others’ backs a few times before they stepped back and Yuta gestured towards the group of vampires. 

“So anyway, guys, I guess these are Hunters, but any friend of Jungwoo is a friend of mine,” 

“Sounds good enough to me,” Donghyuck shrugged, having complete faith in his Sire and never having faced the time of Hunters, “C’mon, sit down,” 

There was even less space in this normal-sized house now that there wasn’t a clearing a mile wide between the two groups. Jaemin introduced Jeno to Mark, Donghyuck, and Taeil while Renjun warmly greeted Kun and Sicheng when they came back in. He introduced them to Yangyang and Hendery, and the group began speaking in rapidfire Chinese. The other group, meanwhile, immediately started joking and laughing. 

Kun and Sicheng joined again after a minute. Sicheng was still visibly on edge, but far more relaxed than he had been. They joined the group of Chinese speakers, Kun slowly joining the conversation first and whispering the odd sentence here and there to Sicheng to help bring him in. 

“Never thought I’d see that,” Jungwoo hummed, looking at his Childe. 

“What even happened?” Jaehyun asked, “You don’t have to say, but like… That was bad,” 

Jungwoo shook his head slowly, “His entire village was wiped out by Hunters. They were setting up a pacifist colony for vampires, just outside of Hong Kong, and the Wong clan wiped them out completely. He was in Hong Kong, not with them, when they all were killed,” 

“Oh god,” 

In the other group, Sicheng laughed at a joke Yangyang had just told. 

“I’m proud of him,” Jungwoo had a starry look in his eyes. 

Xiaojun, Ten, Johnny, and Taeyong re-entered the living room a moment later. Xiaojun didn’t look the same stoned Taeil had when Jaehyun fed from him, but he did have a stupid grin smacked on his face. 

“Gege,” he announced, incidentally calling all the Hunters’ attention to him, “How much do you guys make per feed? I need a cut now,” 

Jaemin groaned, “Oh, shut up, they didn’t actually feed from you, did they?” 

“Johnny DID!” Xiaojun brandished his wrist, “I got BIT, suckers! Wait, is that offensive?” 

Vampires and Hunters alike giggled. Ten sat down next to Jaehyun, bridging the gap between them and the Chinese speakers, and a few others shuffled around, blurring the lines between the groups even more. Taeyong sat on the couch, wary but at the very least accepting that they were all here together and on the same side. 

Yukhei stood. 

“So we think we know what’s been happening with these kidnappings,” he began. 

“Lemme guess,” Donghyuck snorted, “The government’s been kidnapping people off the streets and turning them into zombies,” 

Renjun went wide-eyed and spun to him, “That’s exactly what I thought too!” 

Both Mark and Jeno groaned. “Stop, it’s not a conspiracy theory, Hyuck!” Mark sighed. 

“Actually,” Yukhei winced, “It is this time. Someone’s been making Ferals,” 

Yuta sat bolt upright. “No,” 

“It’s true, they caught one,” Johnny conceded, “Taeyong saw it, it’s the same as from the War,” 

Renjun and Donghyuck made eye contact and shuffled to each other, whispering excitedly about conspiracies. Jaehyun heard Donghyuck say something about how he was “turned in the 70s” and “MK Ultra” while Renjun gasped and started his own tirade. 

“But we also learned something… Kinda terrifying, honestly,” Yukhei continued, “They specifically hunt for Bonds,” 

“Like… Like Soul Bonds?” Mark glanced nervously at Yuta. Yuta paled. 

“Yeah. That’s,” he swallowed, “That’s how they found Jaehyun,” 

Ten screwed up his face, “But he was human when he was attacked,” 

“But Doyoung’s soul needed him, it made the Bond anyway,” Taeyong realized. 

Slowly, the whole group pieced it together. Humans could be a part of Soul Bonds even if they’re not turned, just look at Yukhei and Jungwoo. But that also makes the human a giant, walking target because they’re so fragile compared to their vampire counterpart. Which, in turn, puts the entire coven in danger. 

“So you’re telling me we’ve gotta turn Yukhei and Ten now?” Mark asked, trying to make sense of things. 

Jungwoo and Johnny snarled, leaning closer to their humans, “Don’t you dare,” 

“Whoa, hey,” Yukhei put his hands up, “No one’s turning anyone right now. We have too much else going on. But… We might be able to work this in our favor,” 

Ten immediately caught on to what Yukhei was suggesting. “Oh no, no you don’t,” 

“I think…” 

“You’re an idiot, Wong Yukhei,” 

“I think it’d work!” 

Ten and Yukhei began to argue, leaving everyone else to wonder what on earth they were talking about. 

“Xuxi…” Kun warned, trying to get them to stop. 

“What if we lure one out?” he said excitedly, “We have so many Bonds among us, what if we go out and try to get one to attack us? We could follow its trail back and figure out where it came from!” 

The room erupted. 

“WONG YUKHEI YOU IDIOT --” 

“WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU THINKING --” 

“YOU’D BE PUTTING YOURSELF IN DANGER --” 

“Guys, guys, we’re a team of vampires  _ and Hunters _ now! Literally there would be no one more safe than me if I’m the bait!” 

“He’s right,” Jeno spoke up, silencing the group. “Vampires, Hunters, and a werewolf keeping our eyes on him? If we go to a human bar, we’d be able to see anyone coming at him from a mile away,” 

Taeil leaned over to Jaemin, “Werewolves are real?” 

Jaemin snorted, “Jeno’s a werewolf, ask him to show you later, he’s cute as shit,” 

“I heard that,” Jeno scoffed, “But I don’t think it’s a bad idea,” 

They sat in silence. 

Hendery looked up from his phone. “It’s Friday night and the place we caught that rogue -- Feral -- last night was just a few blocks from a club called…  _ DNYL? _ That sounds terrible,” 

“Is it a human bar?” Yangyang asked. 

“Yeah, but in vamp territory, technically. There’s a blood distribution center a few blocks away,” 

Ten stood up, clapping excitedly, “I’m in charge of outfits! Let’s see what you’ve got stashed away at this safehouse of yours,” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so ill be honest im not super proud of these past two chapters, PURELY because i got writers block on them both and just needed them POSTED so i can move on to the stuff i WANNA write, but hopefully it does all make sense?? as always, let me know if there's anything i didn't explain super well, i can either reply to a comment or go back and edit it to make things clearer! 
> 
> if you like my story, maybe buy me a kofi? https://ko-fi.com/sunshineceej 
> 
> check out my Dojae playlist on spotify! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/77HOKz9NQYs9vuhLRjtK3z


	15. neon lights and flickering lamps

This club was much more comfortable, much more like the others Jaehyun had been to with Ten and Yukhei. Neon lights, laser beams, and a fog machine accompanied the thumping of an electronic pop song as opposed to the red candlelight of  _ 7th Sense _ . Jaehyun was far more in his element here. 

Not to mention that this was the first time going out since being turned. Yuta and Mark had pulled him aside and stressed that this was going to be tough, there would be humans everywhere, and they should all probably feed before going out, just to curb any bloodlust. The humans in their coven agreed, one or two of them (Yangyang and Xiaojun) a little too enthusiastically. 

By the time they were ready to go, the final group had become Jaehyun, Yukhei, Jungwoo, Johnny, Renjun, Jeno, and Xiaojun. The rest of the coven stayed behind to start teaching Taeil and Ten (and Mark) how to fight or to stock up supplies in the event there’s a battle soon. 

_ “I’ve gotta say, the earpieces are nice,” _ Johnny begrudgingly admitted from his corner in the club. Ten dressed him as a normal person for once, no more 20s gangster outfits. 

“Maybe we’re good to have around,” Yukhei snorted, pretending he was talking to Jaehyun. 

Jaehyun nodded, sipping his drink, and made eye contact with Jungwoo at the bar. He gave him a look that very clearly said ‘protect him,’ but he raised his glass cheerily. 

_ “I don’t smell anyone nasty,” _ Jeno growled under his breath,  _ “Aside from these kids wearing too much body spray,” _

_ “So all of them,”  _ Xiaojun replied. He and Renjun were off on the dance floor, watching for anyone in the crowd start to take too much of a liking to their ‘bait.’ 

_ “I don’t like the look of one of these kids over here,” _ Johnny grumbled. 

_ “You don’t like the look of anyone, Johnny,” _ Jungwoo replied. 

Jaehyun and Yukhei pretended to laugh and talk while they waited for someone to come up to them. “This isn’t fucking working,” Yukhei scowled. 

“You  _ want _ to get hit on? While your boyfriend is watching?” 

He shrugged, “I mean, maybe,” 

_ “Gross, guys,”  _ Xiaojun groaned, _ “Keep that off the line?” _

Yukhei knocked back the rest of his drink, “Let’s go see if we can attract some attention,” 

Half an hour later, the only attention Yukhei had attracted were some drunk human girls who mistook him for a famous actor and one very jealous Jungwoo. 

_ “I’m serious, this kid keeps looking at me,” _ Johnny complained. 

“Maybe because you’re dressed like a normal person for once and you’re kinda attractive?” 

_ “Shut up, Wong,” _

He just laughed and downed another drink, “Sure thing, Suh. Hey Jae, I’m gonna go to the bathroom, come with me,” 

They wordlessly walked to the bathroom together. Yukhei was armed and knew what he was getting into, but that didn’t stop the shiver from running down Jaehyun’s spine. Last time one of them went off alone, it was him, and they all knew what happened then. 

Jaehyun stepped into the bathroom first, but thankfully this one was crowded. Yukhei followed him after a heartbeat, did his business, and then they left. Nothing happened. 

“Maybe there just aren’t any here tonight,” Jaehyun wondered aloud. 

_ “That’s so weird,” _ Renjun hummed,  _ “I thought the other one said they’re attracted to the smell of Bonds? The two of you have got to be pretty strong,”  _

_ “Maybe it’s all the cologne,”  _ Jeno was now over by Jungwoo, watching Renjun with the same gaze Jungwoo watched Yukhei. 

“I don’t feel good about this,” Jaehyun couldn’t tell if he was just being paranoid or if he was sensing something, but his skin started to crawl. His ears singled out Yukhei’s heartbeat and kept track of it like he would lose him while he rapidly scanned the crowd for the rest of his coven. “We need to leave,” 

_ “The point of being here is to lure one to us, we’re supposed to attract danger,” _ Xiaojun said over the line, but he and Renjun emerged from the crowd anyway, walking to the bar to meet Jungwoo and Jeno. 

_ “Actually,” _ Jungwoo thought for a second,  _ “I agree. We should go. I don’t know what’s up, but we shouldn’t be in here right now,” _

Jaehyun and Yukhei met up with the group as Johnny approached as well. “Let’s go then,” he held up a finger to Jungwoo, “Yes, I know, I’m listening to you for once. C’mon,” 

They left the club only a few hours after they arrived (Jaehyun could  _ hear _ Ten in the back of his mind talking about how much of a bust this clubbing outing was), but Jaehyun stared down every person they passed on the way out. Someone here was giving him a bad feeling, he just couldn’t tell who it was. Maybe he was being paranoid, maybe he was just overthinking this whole thing. 

They stepped out of the club and began to walk back towards the car. It was a few blocks away, as one could expect parking downtown, but it was fairly warm for a winter night. 

The hairs on the back of Jaehyun’s neck stood up. He paused for half a second, taking a look behind him, and the whole group stopped in response. Instinctually, they all pushed the humans to the middle of the group, despite their protests. 

“Are you guys ok?” Renjun asked, gently holding on to Jeno’s arm. 

“There’s something off,” Johnny answered. They started walking again and slowly spread out, all keeping watch for each other. 

Jeno whirled around, about to shout something, but before he could, a body flew past the group and into the alleyway they stood in front of. The streetlight overhead flickered. 

“Yukhei!” Jungwoo shouted, tearing after the boy who had been thrown from where he stood into a pile of garbage yards away. 

There, across the street, a woman in a short black dress held out her arms like she just pushed Yukhei from where she stood. She looked up and locked eyes with them. They were the same glowing red as the Feral. 

Johnny dashed across the street, appearing next to her in the blink of an eye, but she moved just as quickly. He slashed at her and she dodged effortlessly, much more coordinated than the last Feral had been. 

Immediately, Renjun and Xiaojun pulled knives and stakes from hidden pockets in their jackets. They ran to Yukhei and stood guard while Jungwoo helped him up, and Jeno shifted into his hulking wolf form, shredding his clothes in the process. 

The woman ran across the street, heading for the humans, but slowed for a moment when she passed Jaehyun. That pause was just long enough for Jeno to spring, clamping his jaws around her arm and yank her to the ground. 

She extended her arm and Jeno went flying, thudding further down the alleyway with a whimper. Renjun ran to him. 

“Smells so good,” she hissed, standing back up, not even caring that her arm was torn and bleeding, “An Elder’s? Aren’t I lucky?” 

Johnny reappeared and caught her by the throat, slamming her up against the brick wall of the apartment building next to them. The wall cracked but she just grinned, fangs growing from all her teeth just like the last one. 

Jaehyun jumped forward while she was distracted, intending to stab her in the stomach with the silver knife he grabbed when Yukhei had been thrown, but she placed one hand on Johnny’s arm and threw the other out, sending Jaehyun spiraling into the street. He landed with a heavy thud and a spinning head, but shook it off and scrambled back to his feet. 

“What  _ is _ she?” Johnny shouted to them as she tightened her grip on him. She sunk talons into the meat of his arm, making him wince, but he didn’t let go. She then took her free hand and shoved it into his face, knocking him backwards with an unseen force that made him let go and slam into the concrete below. 

Xiaojun fired a small pistol, presumably loaded with silver bullets. Her shoulder pushed back, proving she got shot, but she didn’t even react. However, it drew her attention. 

She began to limp towards Jungwoo, Yukhei, and Xiaojun, looking like a staggering zombie. The more she threw people with her powers, the more and more haggard she looked. One shoulder bled heavily where she was shot, the other arm still bleeding from where Jeno sunk his teeth in, but she grinned nonetheless. 

“ _ Delicious _ ,” she laughed, “I smell your fear, too. Refreshing to smell fear from an  _ Elder _ ,” 

Jaehyun ran to the humans and held them behind his back while Jungwoo stepped forward, ready to attack. Johnny crouched behind her, waiting for Jungwoo to make his move. 

“You cannot kill us all, now that we’re back,” she stared at him, glowing red eyes meeting Jungwoo’s red and gold eclipse irises, “This is the end of  _ you _ , Borne Vampyres have had their time,” 

Jungwoo leapt forward and grabbed her by the neck. Johnny moved in tandem and wrapped his arms around her torso, squeezing. They all heard the crunch of bones as he held her so tightly he broke her ribs and pinned arms. 

Jungwoo placed one hand on her shoulder and the other under her chin and  _ pushed _ . With a terrible cracking, ripping sound, her head flew from her body, droplets of rotten-smelling blood flying through the air. 

Her body went limp and Johnny let the body fall to the ground. Her head rolled. 

It stopped when it knocked gently into a pair of boots. 

A boy in chelsea boots, black skinny jeans, a black button-up shirt and a previously-pristine white blazer, now splattered with blood, looked from the head on the ground to the group regaining their bearings. 

“So that’s how you do it,” he mused. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> muahahaha here we go y'all
> 
> i updated the tags a little too, three guesses as to who this mystery fashionista in the chelsea boots and white blazer is?? ;)


	16. silver necklaces and drinking glasses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just... get ready

“Who the fuck are you?” 

“Who the fuck am  _ I _ ? Who the fuck are you?” the boy shot back, “You just decapitated some lady! You’ve got no right to be asking me that!” 

Johnny stepped in front of the body, trying to hide it from view, “No we didn’t,” 

Jungwoo smacked him in the arm, “He’s got the head sitting there in front of him,” 

“Fuck,” 

Xiaojun and Renjun stepped forward, hands up to show they meant no harm. 

“We’re Hunters specially hired by the city to take out rogues. This wasn’t a human, but it also wasn’t a vampire,” Renjun explained, lying only a little bit through his teeth, “They’re a —” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know what Ferals are,” the kid nudged the head with his toe, “But damn, you couldn’t have, like, staked it or something?” 

Renjun looked at Johnny, “She was really strong,” 

He rolled his eyes and nudged the head with his foot, “So since you fired that gunshot, the cops are gonna come soon and Hunters are illegal now, aren’t they? Do you guys know what you’re doing now?” 

Jungwoo nodded at Renjun and he dashed off to get the car. “We’re leaving,” 

“Cool,” the kid started walking towards them, “Take me with you,” 

“What?” Jaehyun blurted out. 

“Take me with you! I know more than you do but I don’t have the power to hunt these things down,” 

They all stared at each other for a moment. 

“Look, kid —” 

“Jisung,” 

“Jisung,” Jungwoo amended, “There’s no way. Why don’t you just go back home, stay in for the night, and stay safe? Let us handle things since we do have the power to hunt them?” 

Jisung crossed his arms and clenched his jaw. “So you don’t wanna talk to someone they’ve experimented on? Who escaped from them?” he asked with a tilt of his head. 

“Fuck,” Xiaojun hissed. Everyone looked at Johnny, then Jungwoo, then Johnny again. 

“Absolutely not,” said Johnny, “Jungwoo, no, don’t tell me —” 

“I mean… He’s not much of a threat,” 

“He’s fucking 16!” 

“Hey!” Jisung protested. 

“We need to know more,” 

“We’ll catch another,” 

Jungwoo looked down at the body, “What, and kill it again?” 

Renjun pulled up in the van. Johnny sighed. “Fuck it, fine,” 

“Cool, shotgun!” Jisung called. 

The plan was to go back to the safehouse to figure out what to do from there, but Jisung kept shouting out directions. 

“Look, do you wanna talk to him or not? He can’t exactly leave the apartment right now,” 

“Oh, so now you’re taking us to your place?” Johnny complained from the driver’s seat but followed Jisung’s directions. 

Renjun and Xiaojun snickered in the very backseat, Jeno sat between them, “A secondary location?” Jeno barked and Jisung screamed, jumping a mile in the passenger seat. 

“We’re almost there,” he reached into his pockets, making Johnny and the Hunters tense up, but he just took out a pair of keys, “So rules about my apartment! Shoes off when we get inside, ignore the mess because it’s been a fucking  _ week _ , vampires mabe  _ don’t _ touch my doorknob? I’ve had to jerry-rig a few things, and my landlord doesn’t allow dogs,” 

Jeno shifted back to his human form, the sound of bones crunching and squelching organs echoing loudly in the back. “No problem,” he replied once he was human again. 

Jisung screamed, “Oh my god, why is there a naked man? Wha— was he the dog?”

Renjun dove over the backseat and grabbed a new pair of clothes from the trunk, “Here, babe,” 

“Oh my god, you’re dating a dog,” 

“I am not!” 

“Is this the place?” Johnny interrupted loudly, pulling into the parking lot of a shabby apartment building. 

“Yep! Home sweet home,” Jisung very blatantly put his hand over his eyes as he got out so he wouldn’t see Jeno changing and led the way around to the back door. 

The three vampires, three hunters, and one werewolf followed this teenage boy into his apartment complex, looking around to see if this was a trap of if the kid was really as genuinely stupid as he seemed. 

“You getting anything about this?” Jaehyun whispered to Jungwoo, taking up the rear. 

“Nope, Haven’t seen anything since we decided to leave the club,” he whispered back.

“Damn,” 

The entire building honestly looked like shit, and Jaehyun thought  _ his _ had been bad. The stairs creaked, Jisung had to shove his shoulder against the door to open it wider than one person’s-width, one of the lights flickered, but it looked like he didn’t notice any of it. 

“I kinda got this place really fast, everything went to shit… Uh, it’s not the best, but I can afford it right now,” 

Johnny glanced back to share a look with Jungwoo. 

After a few flights of stairs, they stopped outside a door and Jisung put his hand up for everyone to wait. “Ok, so you’ve gotta promise me that you’re not gonna hurt him, ok? He’s different. Let me go in first and then you can come in, uh, maybe one of you get the door?” he said to Renjun and Xiaojun, “I stopped at a few thrift stores last week and bought as much silver as I could find,” 

Without waiting for an answer, he slipped inside and they heard some thumping and then Jisung’s voice murmuring gently. 

“Ok, you can come in now,” he said a little louder. 

Yukhei held the door open and they all stepped inside cautiously. He closed it behind him when they were all in. 

The apartment was pitch black, but Jaehyun’s eyes adjusted quickly. He saw that all the windows had been sealed shut, blankets duct taped to them to block out any light. Silver did in fact litter the area: draped over door knobs, taped to the fridge handle, and even a small silver crucifix necklace hung over a window. Jaehyun may not have had too many interactions with silver yet, but even he could tell it was nowhere near enough to make a difference. To him, anyway, but he supposed he was stronger than the average vampire, wasn’t he? 

“Lele, I brought friends,” Jisung called, walking into the apartment based purely on muscle memory. Jaehyun watched as he stepped over a jacket on the floor and moved his leg to avoid a box that the human certainly couldn’t see in this light. There was no furniture in the apartment either, that jaehyun could see. 

They heard rustling. The hairs on the back of Jaehyun’s neck stood up. 

“‘Sung?” a gravelly voice called from the other room. 

“Yeah, it’s me, Jisung,” he answered, peeling off his bloody jacket and throwing it aimlessly, “I have friends, they’re gonna help,” 

Someone sprang from the shadows and leapt at Jisung. The coven jumped, but Jisung held his arms open like he was expecting it. The person snarled and stood between Jisung and the coven, holding the human behind him. Red eyes flashed in the darkness. 

“Jisung?” Renjun asked hesitantly, silver knife already in hand. 

“This is Chenle, he was... Partially turned,” 

Having Jisung near again helped Chenle calm down. He backed Jisung into a corner and stood in front of him protectively, snarling whenever someone got a little too close, but didn’t make any movements to attack anyone. Jisung directed Jeno to the little kitchenette where he could turn on the light above the stove, letting the humans see, and Jaehyun blinked in surprise now that he could see more of the boys. 

Chenle didn’t look much older than Jisung, if he was even the older of the two. He half-sat, half-squatted in front of Jisung as his snarl slowly turned into more of a threat of teeth and a twitching lip than a dog about to bite (sorry, Jeno). His light brown hair was matted and greasy, the hoodie and sweatpants he wore had large sweat stains on them, and no offense, but he stunk. Under the collar of the hoodie on the boy’s neck, Jaehyun saw a familiar bright pink scar. 

Jisung held his arm comfortingly, squeezing now and then, and coaxed Chenle into relaxing more. His fangs weren’t the full set they had seen with the Ferals, but he had two pairs of fangs instead of the regular one: one presumably regular sized for a vampire his age and the other smaller, framing them. 

“‘Partially turned’?” Johnny asked once Chenle had calmed down. 

“They let one attack him,” Jisung nodded. 

“Who’s ‘they?’’ 

Jisung looked surprised. “I thought you guys knew what was happening? That new gang that came in, like what, two months ago? The ones that have been offering people odd-and-end jobs?” 

Everyone slowly shook their heads. 

Jisung scoffed. “Yeah, sounds about right. But whatever, we thought we’d be running drugs or something, but turns out we were just told to go around and tell other people who needed to get paid to go check them out. It was pretty easy cash,” 

“Why didn’t you just get a job?” Johnny asked. This time, everyone stared at him. “Ok, ok, never mind,” 

“Anyway, they offered us more cash if we took another job, so we did, and it was just like guarding a door. Didn’t even give us guns or anything, just said stand out here so that it’s not empty, ignore any noises that are inside, and don’t ask any questions. Fuck, easiest ‘no questions’ job I’ve ever taken,” 

Chenle turned to Jisung and tugged on his sleeve. 

“I know, I know, but you hurt me last time, you’ve gotta wait a little bit, let me get better first,” Jisung said softly, brushing some hair from Chenle’s face. Chenle looked sad but listened and sat down fully. 

“One day, the door opened and some armed guards came out, escorting this girl who just looked fucked. I mean  _ fucked _ , like on some concoction of drugs I’ve never seen. They let her out, stood around us, and then just watched,” 

Jisung started to choke up and Chenle scootched backwards to sit with him. 

“She just went bezerk. She attacked me, and, and Chenle shoved her, and… And she…” 

“I turned,” Chenle answered, voice hoarse, “They said kill ‘Sungie. I didn’t. I couldn’t,” 

Jisung nodded solemnly, “They waited for him to turn, killed her, and told Lele to kill me. He went after them instead,” 

Chenle looked at Jisung again, “‘Sungie, please? I didn’t — there’s four, I,” 

Jisung looked physically pained, “I can’t, you took too much last time, I’m sorry. It’s gonna be another few days,” 

“Jisung,” Johnny started hesitantly, “Has Chenle… Fed from you?” 

“Yeah? Why?” 

“Have you been able to get blood packs?” 

“Pfft, no, I’m human and he’s not registered,” 

Renjun shuffled close to Johnny and whispered in his ear. Jaehyun wanted to be surprised that the Hunter and the Borne Vampyre were so close, but he remembered Renjun’s worked for him for a while now. 

“No, absolutely not,” 

“Then you can!” 

“He’s dangerous!” 

“So are you!” 

Johnny glared at him but said nothing. Jeno piped up. 

“I’d rather it be you and Renjun than someone else later,” 

“What are you guys talking about?” Jisung asked. 

Johnny sighed, “I forgot you guys were Mates, you can hear everything,” 

“Damn right, I can. Jaemin agrees with us,” 

Renjun nodded, “He thinks it’s a good idea,” 

“You know I have no way of verifying that, right?” 

“What’s happening?” Xiaojun asked now. 

Jaehyun nodded, “I want to know too,” 

Jeno stood, scaring Chenle, but walked to the kitchenette once more and began rummaging through the cabinets and few boxes. “Where do you keep your cups?” 

“There’s a clean one in the drying rack, why?” 

Jeno opened the dishwasher and Jaehyun screwed up his face but didn’t say anything. Now’s not the time (except who the fuck calls a dishwasher a drying rack??) 

Jeno came back to the group and sat down between Renjun and Chenle. Chenle looked so excited, he was going to vibrate out of his skin. 

“It’s you or me, Johnny, and I don’t have venom,” 

Johnny sighed and took Renjun’s offered wrist. 

Fuck, Jaehyun finally understood what was happening. Renjun was going to bleed into a cup for Chenle to drink. The poor boy was starving but had hurt Jisung last time, probably had taken too much blood and didn’t know how to use his venom, so Jisung couldn’t give him more until he healed. Renjun, a donor, was going to give him his blood. 

“Oh my god, you’re insane,” Jaehyun gasped as he put the pieces together. 

Renjun shrugged, “I’m a Donor and a Hunter at the same time, of course I am,” 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Jisung tried to leap up but Chenle held out his arm, keeping him in place while he stared at Renjun’s wrist ravenously. “Careful! I don’t want you to get hurt! He gets, like, intense!” 

“I get paid to do this,” Renjun tried to give him a cool smirk while Johnny gently bit the vein in his wrist but winced the slightest bit at the pinch. 

Immediately, the metallic, tempting scent of blood filled the room and Jaehyun started drooling. He wasn’t hungry, they ate just before they left to make sure they’d all be able to control themselves, but he couldn’t help it. It was always a vampire’s kryptonite. 

Chenle struggled and tried to spring at Renjun the second Johnny’s fang opened the human’s vein, but Jeno grabbed his shoulders and pinned him to the floor. Chenle grew more and more desperate, trying to shove Jeno off of him, but the werewolf held fast. 

When the glass filled to Johnny’s satisfaction, no more than halfway, he licked over Renjun’s wrist and closed the wound immediately. Renjun happily leaned into Johnny’s shoulder as Johnny held the glass up. 

“Jungwoo?” he called. 

Jungwoo shuffled next to them and took the glass, guiding it gently to Chenle’s mouth. Jeno held his arms as he struggled, trying to take it and chug it as messily as he could, but thanks to Jungwoo and Jeno, they brought it to his lips slowly and let him take a mouthful at a time. 

It worked for the most part. Only a small dribble leaked from the cup and down his chin. The more he drank, the more he calmed down, until finally Jeno let go and Chenle was able to hold the glass on his own. He finished all the blood in the glass then licked it clean, scooping a finger inside to get the very last drops. 

“Better?” 

“Much,” he didn’t break his concentration from the glass, but Jisung sat and stared at them all. 

“You didn’t have to, it’s ok, oh my god, what can we do to pay you back? We don’t have anything, really, but —” 

“Do you want to get out of here?” Johnny offered. Jaehyun and Yukhei swapped a look of disbelief. 

“I — us?” 

“Yeah you two,” Johnny was dead serious, “Help us save someone who’s been taken by them, that’s how you can pay us back. Our house is big enough, our regular one anyway,” 

“Johnny,” Jungwoo hissed, confusion clear on his face, “Can we talk?” without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Johnny’s arm and dragged him towards the front door. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked. 

“Giving them a home? They know about these people,” 

“We don’t know them! What happened to the Johnny from like three days ago who wouldn’t move the coven to the safehouse?” 

Johnny swallowed and ran a hand through his hair. “He reminds me of someone, ok?” Jungwoo just stared at him. He glanced at the group, noticed everyone was watching him, and lowered his voice. “They both do. I just… I need to help them. And also,” he raised his voice again, a hesitant smile on his face like he was about to crack a joke, “How come Taeyong gets to adopt all the strays? Why don’t I get to?” 

Jungwoo cracked. “Ok, fine, you big softie,” 

“Grab what you need,” Johnny turned back to the group, “We’re leaving,”

“What? No,” Jisung stood. 

Renjun scoffed, “Oh, so you invite murderous strangers into your home but you won’t go back with them?” 

“What if you’re a sex cult?” 

“Then you brought a sex cult into your house, first of all,” Renjun laughed. 

Yukhei continued with a snort, “Sorry, ew, no,” 

Jisung scowled. “Fine, but let me change first,” 


	17. drones and oranges

“Oh my god, where did you find Jisungie?” Ten said the second they ushered the children in the front door. He was obviously about to go to bed, dressed in some of Johnny’s far-too-large clothes as makeshift pajamas, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He perked up immediately, however, when he recognized who came in the front door. 

“You know this kid?” 

Ten ran forward and wrapped his arms around Jisung’s head, “Of course I know this kid! We dance together all the time!” 

“Ten?” Jisung gasped, “Oh my god, you’re part of this too?” 

“How do _ you two _ know each other?” Johnny was absolutely flabbergasted. 

Ten ignored him, “And Chenle, what happened, baby?” he reached out an arm to pull in the sickly pale boy but Johnny gently pushed his arm down. Chenle didn’t move from his spot just behind Johnny, not even registering what was happening. 

“Maybe not right now,” 

Ten glared at him but listened and returned his attention to Jisung. “You haven’t come by the studio in  _ months _ ! I was so worried about you!” 

“We don’t have a phone, otherwise I would’ve texted you,” 

“Ten?” Chenle croaked. He was a little out of it again, the glass of blood enough to clear his mind to get him in the car, but the rest of the car ride back to the house he clutched Jisung protectively to his chest, glaring at everyone else in the van. 

“He needs a blood pack. Or three,” was all Johnny said. Ten nodded and guided the two boys to the kitchen. 

The car ride had been long and the humans had had a rough day. 

“We’re gonna turn in for the night,” Xiaojun yawned, waving a hello as Jaemin walked into the living room, “Jaeminnie, where are we sleeping?”

Jaemin, mid-hug with his mates, mumbled around Jeno’s neck, “This place is big as hell, there’s like three bedrooms upstairs alone,” 

Jungwoo stretched, “Yeah, again, sorry it’s so small, you guys are gonna have to share bedrooms with each other until it’s safe enough to get back to our regular house,” 

“That’s fine, we’ve been in worse,” Renjun yawned too. It was nearly 2:30 in the morning after all, and if Jaehyun listened, he could hear the steady heartbeats and even breaths of the other humans in the house. 

The Hunters left to go to bed, Jungwoo and Yukhei did as well, leaving Jaehyun alone in the living room with Johnny. Distantly, he could hear Xiaojun get excited about the bunk bed he was splitting with Yangyang, and Jaehyun just smiled and slumped into the couch. 

Johnny stood awkwardly at the living room window, just watching outside. 

“You, uh,” Jaehyun broke the silence, “You good?” He was the first to admit he didn’t like Johnny all that much, but there was obviously something troubling him. 

“I…” he struggled to think of what to say, not looking away from the window, “I’m glad I got… _ talked into _ moving the coven to the safehouse,” 

Was he… was he  _ apologizing _ ? 

Johnny continued, “This is all so much worse than I thought,” 

“Yeah, it’s… It’s pretty bad,” Jaehyun gave him a confused look behind his back. 

Johnny cleared his throat, “Thanks for, uh, thanks for bringing the Hunters to us. We’re going to be stronger as a group,” 

“Mm-hmm?” 

Johnny turned around and looked at Jaehyun finally, staring into his eyes. “Stay safe,” 

Jaehyun looked to the side to check if there was something else Johnny was staring at instead of him. There wasn’t. “Uh, thanks? I will?” 

Johnny nodded and left the room. 

“What the fuck?” Jaehyun whispered to himself. “What the  _ fuck _ ?” 

He rubbed his face and stood up. Johnny was a weird fucker, apparently, but it seemed like he apologized for being an asshole earlier. He supposed that’s good? 

It was almost three AM at this point. Middle of the day for vampires, but the humans (and werewolf) in the house were sound asleep. Fuck it, let’s explore the house, he decided. Maybe he’d make it a challenge for himself, to see how well he can control his power now. 

For the next few hours, Jaehyun practiced. He imagined a training montage, to be honest. Maybe the song was something by Jackson Wang? Actually, was Jackson Wang a vampire too? He remembered Heechul and Hwasa were at the Council meeting, and Kim Junmyeon was too. What other celebrities were immortals? 

It was nice to get a chance to think about nothing, even for a short time. Yes, he was still worrying. He still felt that throbbing where Doyoung was in his chest. He was worried for the humans in the group, especially Yukhei, because he had a large target painted on his chest. But for now, while the humans slept, there wasn’t more he could do. 

“That’s cool,” he whispered to himself as he turned a pen invisible. He could only do small things for now, and Yukhei when he was hyped on adrenaline. But hey, progress was progress! AND he could now feel the difference between when he was visible and when he wasn’t! That was pretty cool. 

The sun started to rise and so did the humans. Jaehyun wandered his way to an empty bedroom in the basement, away from any stray beams of sunlight, and stripped down to his underwear. In a dresser against the wall, some musty clothes were folded neatly as if they hadn’t been touched in years, but they were still clean. He borrowed some sweatpants and a soft shirt with a silent ‘thank you’ to whoever these clothes belonged to then slipped into bed. 

He was asleep in seconds. 

Based on the smell and incredible racquet coming from upstairs, he woke up around the time that the Hunters had started to make dinner. Thankfully it was winter, so it was completely dark around five, so it wasn’t too late for them either. 

Jaehyun stumbled out of bed, nodding a ‘good morning’ to an equally sleepy Donghyuck clambering out of his and Mark’s room. Mark followed a moment later, bedhead making his hair stand up at every angle. 

The three of them plodded upstairs to find the rest of the coven scattered around the living room, kitchen, dining room, and wherever else all 16 of them could fit. Taeyong and Kun cooked side by side, effortlessly moving around each other, while Yuta did his best to keep the children out of the kitchen. Jisung and Chenle insisted on helping, saying they needed to pay them back somehow, and that immediately got Mark and Donghyuck up and going, insisting they absolutely did  _ not _ . Hendery and Renjun sat off to the side, crowding around their phones, playing a game. 

Jaehyun noticed that Jisung and Chenle looked much better now than they had last night. Chenle had taken a shower and changed into some clean clothes, maybe Taeyong’s, looking healthier although he was still sickly pale. Jisung, too, had showered and gotten the last of the blood splatter off of himself and had borrowed what looked like Donghyuck’s clothes, based on the fashion. Tight skinny jeans and an oversized graphic tee was very up Donghyuck’s alley. 

However, there was immediately far too much noise for this early in the morning. Or night. Whatever. 

“Coffee?” Taeil nodded his head toward the kitchen table where he was sitting, one empty spot between him and Yukhei. Jaehyun sat down gratefully, watching Sicheng stumble upstairs a moment later. 

He took the offered mug of coffee, watching how Jeno flicked a piece of paper at Donghyuck, inciting the vampire to jump into the living room with him and start to wrestle. Jaemin moved without blinking, picking up stray glasses or cans of soda to keep them from getting knocked over. 

Jaehyun sipped his coffee languidly. Something about having everyone here at once made him feel… He couldn’t tell what it was, but he smiled to himself at the thought. He had always thought a home should be full of noise and activity, he just never had the opportunity to live it out. 

He did want to cry at the thought that Doyoung should be here too, though. Yuta, distantly, through their Soul Bond relation or Blood Link relation he couldn’t remember, felt the same and caught his eye to give him a reassuring look. He missed Doyoung too. 

“Food’s ready!” Kun shouted. The Hunters scrambled to the table, fighting one another for what empty spots remained. 

“Jaehyun, are you going to eat?” Jisung asked shyly. Distracted by still insisting he should help, he ended up being the last to the table and didn’t get a seat. 

“Hm?” he looked up at the tall child, blinking in confusion. He didn’t register what was just said. He was still waking up, ok? 

“I can get you something! I saw Johnny drinking a mug of warm blood, do you want some? Or Taeyong has coconut water, would you like some of that?” Jisung practically vibrated out of his skin, nervous that he had insulted Jaehyun or maybe he was excited just to help. Taeil laughed next to him, badly covering it with his hand. 

“Oh, no, no coconut water, uh… Yeah, what Johnny had would be good,” 

Before he even finished his sentence, Jisung dashed off to the kitchen, squeezing around Kun and Taeyong who were bringing food to the table. He returned a minute later with a mug of warm blood, only slightly disgusted at the sight, and handed it to Jaehyun, waiting patiently for him to get up. Holding his coffee and the mug of blood, Jaehyun carefully stood and made his way to the couch where Johnny and Jungwoo sat. Johnny smiled. Jaehyun wasn’t used to that, not that Johnny was mean, but he hadn’t been in the best of moods, so he just nodded and sat down on the far side. 

“Let’s eat well!” Ten cheered. 

“I’m glad everyone’s getting along,” Jungwoo remarked as the humans and Jeno started to dig in. 

Mark and Yuta came to the living room as well and sat down on the floor across from the couch, laughing and chatting easily. Donghyuck and Sicheng hovered near the kitchen, Sicheng only a little further back than Donghyuck but far more at ease with them now than he originally had been. Chenle hung back with Sicheng. He was well fed and out of the worst of his bloodlust, but still didn’t trust himself being very close to the humans. 

“It makes my heart warm,” Taeyong smiled fondly, eating his own bowl of iron-rich foods. 

“Yeah, but you’re a romantic,” Yuta huffed. 

Not even five minutes into the meal, everyone at the table began shouting. 

“That’s it!” 

“No way, that’s so cool!” 

“We can go tonight! It’s only 6!” 

“What, what’s going on?” Johnny called over to the dining room. 

All the boys at the table turned to him, faces beaming with excitement. 

“We know how to find Doyoung!” Jaemin cheered. 

Johnny scrambled to his feet, “What?” 

“Sichengie’s a drone racer!” 

“I wouldn’t say that!” he protested. 

Xiaojun nearly knocked over his chair standing up so fast, phone in hand, “Wait, guys, I found his account!” 

They all crowded around to pull up a video, dead silent as they watched. A terrible mechanical noise filled the house, making the vampires wince. 

“What the hell is that?” Johnny shouted over it. 

The humans looked unphased. Jeno plugged his ears but still watched intently. 

“Whoa!” they oohed and aahed at the different videos. 

“Is someone going to explain what this is?” 

Jaehyun, no longer half asleep, got up to watch the video too. He had to shove Yukhei’s big fat head out of the way a bit, but there on Xiaojun’s phone, their beautiful city skyline swirled in and out of sight. 

“I’m not a drone racer, not professionally,” Sicheng backpedaled, “I film cinematics for movies and stuff. It’s not that big,” 

“You’ve got 3 million views, bro,” Yangyang gasped, “And this is just one of your ‘ok’ videos! Wait, ‘WinWin?’ I’ve seen your videos!” 

Johnny didn’t understand, “Ok, so he’s got a YouTube channel. How does that help us find Doyoung?” 

“Wait!” Jisung shouted, “That’s where we worked to guard that damn door!” He furiously waved Chenle over and backed the video up. 

“You’ve filmed here?” Chenle and Jisung went wide-eyed. 

Sicheng craned his neck to see the video as well, “Yeah, here, there’s an entire video just about the docks. Why, what door?” He took Xiaojun’s phone and switched videos to a drone flipping around some storage crates at the docks. 

Jisung shivered, but Chenle answered around a mouthful of food he snagged from someone’s plate, “We got a shit job of looking busy outside a door at the docks, it was those fuckers making the Ferals, and they set us up to be attacked,” 

The members of the group who hadn’t heard Chenle and Jisung’s backstory before (namely Ten, who would murder for these babies) gasped. Jisung took a large drink of juice so he wouldn’t have to explain anything himself. Jisung was more shaken about it than Chenle was, but Jaehyun supposed if Yukhei or Ten got hurt protecting him, he’d be pretty upset while they’d shrug it off just the same. 

“That’s the door,” Chenle growled, snatching the phone away from Sicheng. His eyes flashed red and his fangs popped out of his teeth, poking out from behind his lips. 

Jisung and Johnny, surprisingly, tried to get him to calm down while Yuta and Kun grabbed the phone excitedly. 

“What kind of security did they have here? If that’s their base, that’s the best place to start looking for Doyoung!” Yuta shouted. 

Donghyuck started messing with the TV, “Send it up here, let’s all watch it,” 

Sicheng cast the YouTube video onto the large TV screen (smaller than the one at their regular house, but impressive to Jaehyun nonetheless) and everyone migrated from the dining room to the living room (some with their plates) to watch. 

“There,” Chenle pointed and Donghyuck paused the video immediately, “That’s where we worked, and… There, that’s where we would enter,” he had Donghyuck resume and pause to see more of the docks. The view was currently upside down, since it wasn’t meant to film the layout of the docks, but it was better than nothing. Yangyang flipped his head upside down to try to see better. 

“Can you send me your footage from this flight? I’ll see if I can get higher-res photos of this rightside-up,” he flipped around to crane his neck to the other side, “If I get new batteries for our earpieces, we’ll have enough for maybe ten of us to get in?” 

“I don’t need one,” Jeno piped in, “If I’m in my wolf-form, they don’t stay in my ears anyway, and I’ve got Renjun and Jaemin,” 

“Cool, so that means eleven,” 

Jungwoo offered, “I won’t need one if Yukhei has one,” 

“Whoa, whoa, no, what is happening here?” Taeyong stood, waving his chopsticks in the air at the group, “No one is breaking in anywhere, we don’t know what the hell is in there!” 

“Doyoung could be in there!” Renjun protested. 

“He could also be somewhere else!” 

Renjun scowled but didn’t protest again. Taeyong had a point. 

“We can’t just go in guns blazing against a group who’s already taken one of our own. What if Doyoung isn’t at the docks?” Taeyong pointed at the TV screen, “If we go attack and he’s not there, they would have plenty of time to move him before we’d be able to find out where he actually is!” 

Excited as they had been, the Coven looked ashamedly at the floor or out the window. He was right. 

“What about Jaehyun,” Jungwoo suggested. Jaehyun looked up. 

“What  _ about _ Jaehyun?” 

“He can be completely undetectable and he’s got Doyoung-dar,” 

Jaehyun waved his hands, “No I don’t, I felt him once because his concentration slipped, not because I could find him,” 

“No, Jungwoo’s right,” Ten added, “Remember when you first went invisible? Doyoung said he felt you pulling at him! If you can’t hide from him when  _ you’re _ completely hidden, he probably can’t hide from you while  _ he’s _ completely hidden!” 

The Coven began brainstorming excitedly, and Taeyong cut them off once again. 

“We are still not going to walk up to the docks and demand to, what, speak to a manager?” 

“... I could,” Donghyuck stated. 

“Fuck, that’s right!” Mark gasped. 

“Huh?” Jeno tilted his head. 

“Hyuck’s Power is Charm,” Mark explained proudly, “After he feeds, he just needs to make eye contact with a human and they’ll do what he asks, like, with limits,” 

“I haven’t tried doing anything big!” he defended, “Just like a, ‘hey, buy me a drink?’” 

Yukhei scoffed, “That’s just flirting,” 

“He’s gotten us out of speeding tickets,” Mark supplied. 

“Again, just flirting,” Ten rolled his eyes. 

“Tennie,” Donghyuck asked in a sickeningly sweet, teasing voice, “You don’t like fruit, right?” 

Ten gave him a deadpan look, “Go fuck yourself,” 

Yukhei laughed and Hendery screwed up his face, “You don’t like fruit? Like, any?” 

He turned to him and made a sour face, “I don’t like the feeling in my mouth. It's just… I can drink juice! I just don’t like the fruit itself!” 

“What if I asked you to go take a bite of a banana that’s on the table?” 

“No way, I hate bananas most,” 

Donghyuck’s eyes flashed gold and Ten blinked. “Ten, you should go eat some banana,” 

“I hate banana,” he replied, completely emotionless. 

“How about some orange?” he suggested. 

Ten pulled a face, looking like he didn’t even realize it, but then turned around and walked into the kitchen to grab an orange from the fruit bowl. He came back to the dining room and leaned against the wall where he had been before and started to peel the orange. He didn’t  _ look _ any different than normal. If anything, he looked stoned or interested in the orange just a little too intently. He took a slice of orange and popped it into his mouth, chewing immediately. Once again, his face screwed up, but he ate it. 

He was about to pop another slice into his mouth when Donghyuck laughed, “Ok, ok, you can stop now, thank you!” 

Ten blinked like he just woke up, looked scathingly for Donghyuck, and hurled the orange at him. “Fine! I get it! Ugh!” he ran back into the dining room to clear his mouth out with other food. 

They all exploded into laughter. Taeyong snorted but tried not to laugh. 

Jaemin had an idea, “So Donghyuck, Sicheng, and Jaehyun can go in together and do some scouting! Then if they find where they’re holding Doyoung, we can come in after. If not, the three of them can just sneak in and sneak out!” 

“And where are we going to be?” Taeyong seemed a little more willing to go along with it now. 

“The Hunter’s van is fully outfitted for surveillance,” Yangyang supplied. 

“I’ve got a car too, you know,” Yukhei said, “I bet others too, we could be at different points outside the docks,” 

“And again, we’ve got earpieces, but only for like half of us,” 

Johnny, from where he, Jisung, and Chenle had been watching in the back, announced, “I don’t want any humans being on their own. Even the Hunters,” 

“Dibs on Taeyong,” Ten and Jisung said at the same time. 

“I’ll stay with Yangyang in the van,” Mark nodded at Yangyang, “I don’t want to get into a fight,” 

“Taeyong, does this sound better?” 

He thought for a minute. “Ok, fine. But we’re only going in if they find Doyoung!” 

The Hunters sprang into action, pulling their weapons bags out of nowhere. 

“Taeil! Ten!” Hendery called them over, “Let me show you how to fight with a knife!” 

“I regret everything,” Taeyong sighed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> three chapters left!! we now have all the members in play, we have a plan, and we have a location to start looking for doyoung. LESGETIT!!


	18. The Docks

_ “So remember, if anyone asks?”  _

“We’re a two-man camera crew, we get it, Yongie!” Donghyuck hauled one of Sicheng’s huge equipment boxes out of the car and carried it effortlessly while Sicheng carefully unboxed the small drone and started fiddling with the blades. 

“Are you sure you don’t need help?” Jaehyun hovered, closing the trunk after them. It continued to close on its own. Damn expensive cars. 

“Nah, you’re good,” Donghyuck shrugged. Sicheng was too invested in what he was doing to pay attention anymore. 

“And are you sure we’re not raising suspicion? This is an expensive car,” 

“Bro, we passed three Teslas on the way here. A Range Rover isn’t gonna raise any hackles. And besides,” Donghyuck laughed, “It's not like they’re here legally either. Relax,” 

“I know, I’m just nervous,” 

“We can tell, your feet are invisible,” 

“Fuck,” he hissed. 

“No, that’s ok,” Sicheng reassured him, “You should turn invisible now. We’re going in,” 

There was one bored-looking dock worker at the gate, although he did perk up as the two of them approached (with an invisible Jaehyun in tow). 

“This, uh, this area is closed to the public,” he attempted, but he was also clearly interested in the drone Sicheng held. 

“Oh, I know, I’m sorry,” Donghyuck cooed, “But we’re filmmakers, and the city hired us for a commercial they’re making. They told you, right?” 

The guard’s eyes glowed in response to Donghyuck’s Power. “No, they don’t tell me anything, I’m just a night guard,” 

Donghyuck clicked his tongue, “Ugh, don’t you hate that? You’re quite possibly one of the most important parts of this whole thing! They’re really letting you go unappreciated. We’re filming one of those tourist trap commercials, you’ve seen the ones for ‘Visit Wyoming’ and stuff right?”

The guard nodded his head, hanging on to Donghyuck’s every word. Donghyuck waved Jaehyun in behind his back, telling him to duck under the security arm, while he continued. 

“The docks have the best view of the skyline, and now’s the perfect time to film. The sun’s just set, but we still have some ambient light…” honey dripped from his tongue, “And my friend here is one of the best drone cinematographers there is. Have you seen the documentary about the hidden caves of China?” 

“No?” 

“Oh my god, here, do you have Netflix? Give me your phone,” Donghyuck demanded excitedly. Jaehyun was astounded at how the guard nodded, enraptured, and handed over his phone with the Netflix app open. Sicheng took the drone and the equipment box and also walked under the security arm. 

“Here it is, he filmed this. Sit here, I want you to watch this whole thing, and don’t pay any attention to anyone else coming in here the rest of the night, ok? You deserve this, they don’t appreciate you anyway, they won’t even notice,” 

“Yeah,” the guard agreed, slurring his words, “They won’t even know. It's not like anything happens here anyway,” 

“Exactly. Have fun, my man,” Donghyuck clapped him on the shoulder, leaned in to press the button to leave the arm up, and jogged to join them. 

“Easy as cake,” he grinned, dusting his hands off. 

“I wish you hadn’t told him one of my actual movies,” Sicheng groaned. 

“Relax, he won’t remember anyway, I also told him he should take a nap when he’s done with the documentary. Now come on, let’s get a little lookie-loo,” 

“‘Lookie-loo’? God,” Jaehyun sighed. 

The sound of the drone was a dentist’s drill in Jaehyun’s ear. It didn’t help that he could hear it and the other conversations happening through the earpiece either. 

“Do you see anything yet?” he grit through his teeth, tempted to chuck the earpiece as far as he could. 

_ “There’s movement back in the storage containers, can’t tell if it’s dock workers or the gang Jisung talked about,”  _ Sicheng reported. 

_ “Gimme a better visual,” _ Yangyang asked from the van. He was safely across the street in the newly-updated hunters’ van, now complete with monitors, signal boosters, mics, a police blotter, and anything else Yangyang could ask for. The poor boy almost cried when Sicheng and Mark showed him their “small” computer collection at the safehouse. 

_ “On it,” _ Sicheng replied. 

Donghyuck yapped away, talking to Mark in the van with Yangyang, and Jaehyun wished he could put them on mute. Instead, Taeyong’s voice came over the mic in the van. 

_ “Hey, you two can chat later,” _ he hissed,  _ “Taeil and I are listening to the police radio,” _

_ “I see something,” _ Yangyang muttered,  _ “What typically gets shipped in these huge containers?”  _

_ “I think, like, sugar? Iron?” _ Renjun answered, _ “Really big bulk things get shipped on cargo boats then split up at the warehouses here,”  _

_ “So is it weird for someone to climb up a ladder to open up an empty one?” _

_ “... Maybe?” _

Jaehyun followed the drone, weaving between isles of massive metal cargo containers. That didn't sound good, whatever it was. 

_ “There’s guards out the ass on the ground,”  _ Donghyuck reported. 

“I see ‘em,” Jaehyun murmured. He crept past three armed guards just milling around; he was certain there were more around him. If he wanted to take the time to breathe deeply or listen, he knows he would be able to smell how many humans were nearby or hear exactly how many heartbeats there were, but that would take too long. Something in the air made his nerves tingle and his hair stand on edge. 

“I don’t like this,” he said to himself, ducking around the corner to watch a patrol walk past, “It’s heavily guarded, guys,” 

_ “But this might not have anything to do with us,”  _ Taeil reminded them. 

“Open that crate!” a guard shouted. Men scrambled to point their rifles at the entrance while a few waited for a countdown to open a storage container on the ground level. 

_ “Get closer,” _ someone hissed into the earpiece,  _ “We can’t hear,” _

The drone hummed overhead, far enough away that no one paid it any mind. 

Jaehyun, taking an anxious double-check that he was in fact invisible, skirted around the outside of the group of seven or so men to the left. He got as close as he dared, peeking out from behind the corner of an isle of shipping containers, only a few meters away from the closest armed guard to the door. 

Someone who could only loosely be called a scientist approached the door and nodded. The guards glanced at each other but opened the door wide. Nobody moved for a long moment. 

The stench of death wafted slowly across the small clearing. Jaehyun couldn’t quite see inside yet and was honestly a little scared to check, but he heard something past the screech of the rusted metal hinges. 

Someone inside was groaning in pain. It took them a moment to register the door was opening, but once they did, those groans turned into wails of fear. 

A man strapped to a table in the middle of the storage container thrashed weakly against restraints. The clink of chains and his horrible screams were the only indications he was alive anymore; Jaehyun couldn’t hear a single heartbeat coming from him. 

He was a vampire. 

It wasn’t Doyoung. 

The scientist walked in, holding what seemed to be a syringe. His body blocked Jaehyun’s view, but he did something that made him stop immediately and return to his weak groans of suffering. He then took something else out of the pocket of his laughably fake lab coat, held it to him for a moment, then turned to walk out of the storage container again. He pocketed it quickly. 

The guards rushed to close the door. The terrible screech of metal echoed once again. Once it was completely locked up, they all relaxed and waited a moment before dispersing to continue their patrols. 

“They have them,” Jaehyun breathed, “Vampires are here,” 

The coven began clamoring over the earpiece, but Jaehyun didn’t hear a word anyone said. He didn’t hear because he was completely frozen in fear. 

Even though he knew he was undetectable, he  _ knew _ no one could hear him, the scientist turned and stared straight at him. Jaehyun didn’t breathe. 

But… He didn’t hear the scientist breathe either. He didn’t hear a heartbeat from him. The scientist scanned the isle Jaehyun was hidden in then shook his head and walked away. 

He had seen that man before. Where? Where had he seen hi—

The Council meeting. That man was the one at the Council meeting who insisted there were no Hunters and there were no attacks against Vampires. 

Jaehyun  _ sprinted _ back to the entrance of the docks. He collided with Donghyuck, who thankfully had fast enough reflexes to catch him before he fell to the ground. 

“What happened?” Donghyuck asked, but all the other voices in his ear asked the same thing at the same time. 

He ripped the earpiece out of his ear and threw it. Sicheng caught it. 

“They’re here. They’re making Ferals. It’s the Council,” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoa-ho, changing up the pattern for the chapter titles! that means something BIG! 
> 
> two chapters left


	19. Doyoung

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IM BACK!! thank you all for waiting so patiently! this chapter is the LAST chapter, i know i said there would be 20 before but it all got wrapped into one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello friends, im back!!! 
> 
> how has covid been treating you, because it has NOT been treating me well. but here we are, at the end of this story! i know i said there would be 20 chapters at first, but as i mentioned in the chapter summary, i finally got a chance to sit down and write and i literally didnt stop until this got finished. 
> 
> warnings for this chapter: they kill a lot of people. like im serious, they kill a LOT of people. there's guns, knives, torture, someone's head gets chomped, it's a lot. be careful if you don't do that kinda thing

“Jaehyun, Jaehyun! Calm down!” Donghyuck shouted. Jaehyun growled and shoved Donghyuck off. 

“No! They’re here, they’re all here! Doyoung is here!” he howled. 

“Get in here,  _ now _ ,” Sicheng hissed into his earpiece. 

“We need to wait for the rest of the group to show up,” Donghyuck struggled to hold him still, grappling at his arms, trying to wrap an arm around his waist, anything to keep Jaehyun in one place. 

“Let  _ go _ of me!” Jaehyun ripped himself out of Donghyuck’s hold and tore off down the path again. He heard them call after him as he turned himself invisible. 

They should be glad he told them they were here. They should be grateful he went back to them at all. And now that the terrible whine of the earpiece was out of his head, Jaehyun could actually train his ears on the docks around him. 

He had never felt this much anger in him in his life.  _ This _ was what it meant to be a vampire, he decided. He heard every heartbeat of every human at the docks. He smelled their sweat, could tell who ate last and what they had, heard the clack of guns shifting during patrols. 

He would find every single person involved and make them pay. 

Distantly, he heard tires screech near the entrance of the docks, back where the others were. They would catch up. He didn’t care. 

“This way, I think I heard something,” he heard a guard say a few isles down. Two more from the intersection joined him and they began to jog closer to where Jaehyun perched. 

He dug his fingers into the soft metal of the side of the shipping container he was closest to and climbed to the top to watch from above. These containers were just filled with cardboard boxes of something, nothing like the reinforced box he saw the other vampire in. He dimly noted that only select containers held people in there. That was good to know. 

The guards stopped where he had been a second ago. They shined their flashlights at the deep finger indentations Jaehyun made when he climbed up. 

One leaned in to the walkie-talkie on his shoulder. “Base, looks like one escaped again. West bay, section B, isle 34, over,” 

_ “Confirm, Whiskey Bravo 34? Over,” _

“Confirmed, base,” 

The next call through the walkie-talkies seemed to be a group order,  _ “All personnel: increase security at specified cells, repeat, all personnel, increase security. Suspected breakout.”  _

“Fuck,” Jaehyun hissed to himself. He fucked up. As the group rushed off to guard one of the important shipping containers, Jaehyun stood and walked carefully along the top of the four-container-high aisle. A siren started at the top of the large crane in the middle of the dock. A large floodlight spun around, illuminating huge swaths of the shipyard at a time. 

He needed to find Doyoung. 

Something jolted in his stomach and made the base of his neck tingle. Was that Doyoung? … No, but it was someone else calling to him. 

Yuta. 

He gave a reluctant tug back on the Blood Link. As much as he wanted to find Doyoung as soon as he could, it finally dawned on him that he might need some backup. 

When they split up to scout the area, Yuta had taken the west side and parked with Renjun, Jaemin, and Jeno to wait for a signal. That meant they were close. Closer than any of the other groups. 

He tugged at Yuta’s Blood Link again. He answered, steering Jaehyun in a location. He raced off. 

A tall chain link fence topped with barbed wire enclosed the docks, and there on the other side, Yuta had parked his Porsche Macan. (Of course he had an expensive car too, Jaehyun sighed.) Yuta rushed out of the driver’s seat as soon as Jaehyun turned himself visible and ran up to the fence. Renjun, Jaemin, and Jeno in his wolf form followed soon after. 

“Jaehyun! What happened, we heard —” Yuta started to talk. 

Jaehyun said nothing. He stepped forward to the fence and sized it up. 

“Jaehyun?” Renjun asked. 

“They’re here. The vampires are all kept here. They make Ferals here. Do you have bolt cutters?” 

The four of them just blinked at him, but Jaehyun didn’t care. He knew he was snapping, knew he was being harsh, but it didn’t matter. The void where Doyoung should be ached even more now that he knew he was so close to finding him. 

“No,” Jaemin answered. 

Jaehyun tore the chain link fence like it was wet paper. Within seconds, the metal yielded under his touch and bent out of the way, creating a perfectly good person-sized opening. They didn’t waste any time and immediately started jogging together while Jaehyun explained more. 

“I made tracks, they thought one escaped. They’ve upped security,” 

Renjun quietly filled in the rest of the group over the headset. 

“Not all of them have people in them, some are just shipping containers,” Jaehyun gave them a visceral example by clawing at the side of one of the containers again, tearing it away to reveal stacks of more cardboard boxes. 

“Jaehyun!” Jaemin scolded, “You’re going to burn yourself out!” 

“Don’t care,” he grunted. 

Yuta gave him a look then began to talk to the whole group. “Alright guys, get in while you can. They’re on lockdown, any crate that’s guarded has someone inside,” 

Someone’s tinny voice filtered through the headset loud enough for Jaehyun to hear,  _ “What if we find a Feral?” _

Yuta didn’t answer, but Chenle did.  _ “Kill them.” _

Jaehyun guided Renjun and Jeno closer to the water while Yuta and Jaemin made their way along the southern fence. Once in a while, Jeno caught the scent of something, made them alter their course for a moment, before it was gone again just as quickly and they returned to their original route of scouring the waterline. 

There, up ahead, two guards stood outside a shipping container, guns at the ready. Jaehyun could smell the fear in their sweat. Renjun armed his crossbow and nodded. 

Jeno sprang forward, knocking down the guard on the right while Jaehyun lashed at the guard on the left. In a swift movement, he snapped the man’s neck and let him collapse to the ground. Jeno, meanwhile, held on to the other guard’s arm, giving Renjun time to walk up to him, crossbow inches from his face. 

“Open the box,” he ordered. 

“Please,” the guard begged, “Let me go,” 

“If you open it,” Renjun answered vaguely. He nodded and Jeno dropped the man’s arm from his jaws. He also fell to the floor, but with his good hand he fished for a ring of keys. Shaking, he unlocked the silver lock and it fell with a clatter. 

He turned around and put his hands up as best as he could. Renjun shot him in the throat. He dropped. 

Slinging his crossbow onto his back, he yanked the bolt out of the man’s esophagus and returned the bloody wood to his quiver. He also snatched up the keyring before unlatching the door. 

“I didn’t say what I’d do if he opened it. Ready?” he asked, holding it shut. Jeno and Jaehyun nodded and Renjun swung the large door open. 

Inside reeked. Rotting dead man’s blood splattered on the walls. There was no table in this container, just a shaking figure in the back corner, hunched over in a ball, just like the first Feral had been. He didn’t even need to look to Jeno for confirmation. 

Renjun didn’t even blink, just took out the bloody crossbow bolt once more and loaded it, careful not to make any sudden noises lest he caught its attention and attacked. With little more than a breathy  _ twang, _ the crossbow fired and shot straight through the feral’s chest. It didn’t even have a chance to see what happened. 

Jaehyun held his breath and went to retrieve the bolt, but Renjun shook his head. “Don’t need it,” 

They continued on. 

Gunshots rang out from the east. They took off running. 

Maybe 50 meters or so later, their group nearly collided into Hendery, Ten, Lucas, and Jungwoo near the middle of the compound. 

“God, you’re ok!” Ten gasped. 

“What was that?” Renjun asked, checking everyone over. 

“We handled it,” Jungwoo answered solemnly, “Where is everyone else?” 

“We split up from Yuta and Jaemin at the west edge. Have you seen anyone else?” 

“No,” Hendery shook his head, “But Johnny took Jisung and Chenle around the front,” 

More gunshots echoed from behind them. 

“Scatter!” Jungwoo ordered. 

They all took off in different directions. Jaehyun ended up running back to the front entrance, Hendery and Lucas right behind him. They sprinted through aisleway after aisleway, trying to spot any guarded box they could. 

“Renjun has keys,” Jaehyun blurted out after they paused around a corner. 

“I have a bolt cutter,” Hendery grinned. 

“There!” Lucas interrupted, poking his head around the corner to the left of them. Three guards stood outside of this one, each looking a different direction, but they hadn’t spotted them yet. 

Jaehyun was about to get ready to charge them when Hendery held out his arm to get him to stop and laid down on the ground. 

“What are you doi— oh,” he cut himself off when he saw the massive rifle strapped to his back. 

It took four silenced shots, but Hendery incapacitated them within a few moments. Lucas helped him back to his feet then they went towards the crate, stepping around the collecting pools of blood. 

Lucas took the bolt cutters from Hendery and snapped the heavy lock with ease. Just like how Renjun did, he waited for a signal that they were ready before opening the door wide. 

This container held a simple chair bolted to the ground. There, a weak vampire struggled to pick up their lolling head and stared at them blankly. 

“We’re here to get you out,” Lucas stated as he rushed to undo the restraints. 

“Who…?” 

“Doesn’t matter,” he helped the frail young woman stand and guided her out of the large metal prison, “Here, drink. This one isn’t dead yet. Then run as fast as you can,” 

She said nothing, just removed the guard’s helmet and latched on to his neck. He gasped for breath for a moment longer before she dropped his head and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. 

She and Lucas nodded at each other before she disappeared in a blur, hopefully running home. 

“Thank god,” Hendery sighed, “But I wish I could get my energy back that easily,” 

“You’re a good shot, Hendery,” Jaehyun complimented as an idea sparked in his head, “Can we get you up high to shoot from afar?” 

“This isn’t a sniper rifle, but I could try,” 

“Trying’s better than nothing,” 

The three of them slunk their way toward the center of the docks where they had seen the crane earlier. Lucas shot one or two more guards as they went, glock at the ready. Once they got to the back of the crane, it was only a few more shots to take care of the few guards around the back of the small building in front. 

“That must be the administrative building,” Lucas whispered. 

“There are people inside,” Jaehyun whispered back. 

“I’m going to get up on the roof, see how I can help from up there,” Hendery jerked his head at the ladder on the crane, conveniently within climbing distance of the edge of the small building. 

“I’ll come,” Lucas watched his back and they ran to the crane together. Jaehyun spun around, intent on finding more crates. 

A few moments later, after he headed off in his own direction, he heard the shots of a silenced rifle going off and knew the rooftop was a success. 

He needed to find Doyoung, and he needed to do it as soon as possible. The siren hadn’t turned off, even though he hadn’t heard an update that they were under attack, and the police could show up any minute. Jaehyun ducked behind a corner and reached for any shred of Doyoung he had left in him. Anything at all that could help him find his Soul Bond. 

For the first time since that accidental scene Doyoung showed him, he felt something come from the hole in his chest. A soft, barely-there little tap. 

Jaehyun wanted nothing more than to wrap that little tap up and squeeze it tight and never let it go again, but he stopped himself, worried he would squash it and put that light out. Carefully, ever so carefully, he coaxed it to be a little brighter, a little more pronounced. Then, just like it had with Yuta, he felt a direction like sonar telling him where to go. 

Jaehyun stalked back to the west, more and more tense with every step. How much farther? How many guards would be there? Would he be able to take them? 

He had half a mind to go look for help, but he knew that if he didn’t act on this little tug  _ right now _ , it would go out. It might stay out this time. 

Around the opposite side of the little building stood several shipping containers stacked next to each other. Just a little aisle of three, nothing stacked on top of them, nothing around them. These three boxes, however, were guarded by about three men each, and a handful of those ‘scientists’ from earlier milled about too, frantically taking notes and climbing up and down the ladders at the side. 

Guards opened the container furthest to the left to let a ‘scientist’ in. Inside, Jaehyun could see a woman, limp and still, as the man took a sample of some kind from her. 

They were harvesting venom. 

He waited and watched as they completely ignored the sirens going off, the gunfire around them, and they closed that container and moved to the next one. This one, a man — no, he looked too young. A boy inside struggled and fought back, but he was completely tied down and they took a sample from him just the same. 

One box left. One last chance this was Doyoung. They closed the silver plated door of the middle container and moved to the last one. 

The second this door opened a crack, Jaehyun felt the full force of Doyoung slam into him. 

_ Pain. Fear. Death. Hurt. Door. Light? No, no, no! Get away! Leave! J… Jae? Jaeh… _

_ I’m here! _ He pushed back as hard as he could, struggling to stay standing,  _ Doyoung, I’m HERE! _

The scientist didn’t take a sample of venom from Doyoung. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a capped syringe. 

_ No.  _ They were done hurting Doyoung. Jaehyun wouldn’t allow them to anymore. 

He sprinted forward and collided with the closest guard, fist going straight into his jaw. The man flew backwards, colliding with the next box down and putting a large human-sized dent in it. He fell to the ground without another sound. 

“Fire!” their general ordered. All the guards whirled on Jaehyun, shooting as fast as they could. One or two of the bullets whizzed close to his face but he didn’t even flinch. One of them sped straight through his arm and he roared, feeling the itch of his flesh knitting back together overtaking the sting of the silver bullet. Jaehyun charged at another guard and grabbed his gun, using it like a bat to fling the woman away. 

Beside him, a head bounced along the ground and rolled to a stop at his feet. 

Chenle, bloody and snarling, threw the headless guard into the side of another shipping container. Johnny and Jisung stood right behind him. 

Chenle and Johnny rushed the final few guards, killing them far more messily than they needed to, but Jaehyun wasn’t one to judge them on that. Johnny pinned a guard to the ground while Chenle ripped off an arm. Jisung hung back, firing a pistol at as many guards as he could. 

“Jisung!” Hendery and Lucas rushed to the side of the rooftop that overlooked the brawl. Hendery threw something down to him that clattered heavily against the ground. 

Bolt cutters. 

Jisung snatched them up and ran for the first storage container he could. Clipping the bolt was a struggle, Jaehyun noticed as he grappled with the next guard who came running into the area. Where were these guys coming from? 

The boy swung the door open and rushed to the woman inside. A moment later, he came back out, half carrying her, half dragging her. He set her down against the building, where Sicheng and Donghyuck soon appeared, before rushing to the next container. 

Jaehyun, Johnny, and Chenle soon found themselves trapped in the middle of a ring of armed and armored guards. They stepped closer, tightening the circle, and Jaehyun bristled, wanting nothing more than to kill them all and be done with it. 

Before he could react, Chenle snarled ferally and ran on all fours at the nearest guard. His bones cracked and moved in ways human bones shouldn’t, his fangs extended far past his lips. In one swift movement, Chenle’s jaw unhinged and he took the guard’s head into his gaping maw and  _ crunched _ . 

Johnny stepped forward and punched the next guard in the stomach while he was watching the sickening scene. The man moved in slow motion it seemed; his body absorbed the hit and shockwaves rippled his limbs, but the force of the punch was too much for him. His body lifted off the ground and flew over the top of the building. He landed hard on the other side with a crunch. 

Johnny stood back upright and cracked his knuckles. “Who’s next?” He didn’t take the time to wait for an answer, just moved on to the next closest guard in a blur and swiftly beat her to death. 

Jaehyun rushed for the final shipping container, to Doyoung, just to see the scientist standing calmly inside. He held a silver knife to Doyoung’s throat. 

“One more step and your entire Coven is gone,” 

“Isn’t that what you wanted all along? You could have done it at any point!” he was hyperventilating but there was nothing he could do about it now. Doyoung’s life was on the line. 

“No,” the councilman laughed, “I needed you all here at once. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have worked,” 

“What?” Jaehyun blinked. 

“Can’t you tell? You’re complete now! If any of you get injured, you can heal! With all of you together, you’re the new Reigning Family!” he snarled, vitriol evident in the spit flinging from his mouth as he talked, “We need you all here to kill you all at once, or else we’ll never be rid of —” 

He stopped talking halfway through his sentence. A neat bullet hole appeared in his forehead moments before he slowly fell backwards. 

Jaehyun whipped around to see Ten drop his gun and sigh, leaning heavily against the door. He nodded, obviously injured, but alright for the moment. 

“Silver bullets,” was all he said. 

Jaehyun rushed forward and began tearing at the restraints. His skin hissed and steamed and he handled the silver cuffs, but he couldn’t even register the pain. 

Ten gently guided him back and gestured for someone to come in. Jisung appeared with the bolt cutters and clipped them off one by one. 

“Get out of here, it’s too dangerous —” he frantically said to Ten and Jisung. They’re human, there’s more guards outside, they’ll get shot — 

“It’s done. We got them all,” was all Ten said. He helped Jaehyun bring Doyoung up into a sitting position, then stood close by as Jaehyun carried him out of that godforsaken box. 

“We need to leave,” Johnny stepped forward but didn’t come any closer than he had to. He was handling Jaehyun like a wild animal just reunited with her child, and if he was being honest, Jaehyun appreciated it. 

“What? We can’t leave, he’s too hurt to move!” Jaehyun argued. 

Without saying a word, Johnny held out his hand, giving something to Jaehyun. His earpiece. 

_ “— on their way, you need to get back to the house now! Seriously, they’re bringing in reinforcements!” _ he caught Taeyong urging them to leave as he shoved the earpiece back in. 

“We’ve sent Lucas to bring the rest of the group back, it should be just us here,” Johnny gestured to Ten, Jisung, and Chenle. 

“Fine, let’s go,” 

Jaehyun could only imagine this was what Doyoung felt like when he had been attacked. Running through the empty night streets, carrying his dying Soul Bond in his arms in a race against the clock. 

They got back to the safe house with Jaehyun on autopilot, just following the vague blurred form of Johnny with Ten on his back. Chenle was just behind him, carrying Jisung the same way. 

“Lay him down,” someone instructed. 

Jaehyun laid Doyoung on the carpet and gingerly cradled his head in his lap. 

Doyoung said nothing. He could hardly crack his eyes open. He was covered with cauterized silver wounds. Needle marks littered his neck and inner elbows from where they kept injecting him with dead man’s blood. A crucifix shape had been burned into his chest. 

“Doyoung, it’s alright, you’re safe now,” Taeyong knelt on the other side of him. The group who had been in the surveillance van had gotten back first. Kun rushed around as the others trickled in, patching up what he could, but stopped when Doyoung was brought into the house. 

At least everyone got home safe. Yukhei’s group were the last to come in from the docks, and as they came in the house, everyone wrapped each other in a hug. 

Jaehyun felt weak. He felt sick to his stomach, like his body itself was shutting down. 

Doyoung was dying. It was too late. 

Jungwoo was the last to come inside. They were all covered in blood, other than the ones in the van, but he was soaked head to toe. 

“They’re all dead. There aren’t any more,” he announced. 

“That’s good,” someone replied, “It won’t happen again.”

As they all sat together in silence, holding one another close, something started to happen. 

Jaehyun felt every one of his Blood Links. He felt Yuta next to him, stronger than he had before, but he could also feel Mark and through Mark for the first time, he felt Donghyuck. He could feel Jungwoo and Sicheng, even though he didn’t have a Blood Link with them. Slowly, even Yangyang and Xiaojun settled alongside in his soul, despite being human. 

Jaehyun looked up at the group, tears in his eyes. The humans looked confused, hell everyone looked confused, but Ten put it together first. 

“Oh my god, he was right,” 

“Who?” Yuta demanded. 

“That damn councilman. We’re a complete Coven now. It’s that fairy tale, of when you’re all together. I can feel you,” 

On his lap, Doyoung heaved a breath so large it startled everyone. His eyes opened. 

They all shuffled closer unconsciously. The closer everyone got, the more Doyoung was able to open his eyes. 

“Jae… Hyun?” he rasped. 

He sobbed. “I’m here, we’re all here,” 

“There’s… so many,” 

Yuta laughed, tears streaming down his face, “Yeah, we got a little bit bigger while you were gone,” 

Warmth spread through that hated void he had been getting so used to. It glowed and pulsed like a heartbeat, slowly filling his chest. Through that warmth from Doyoung, Jaehyun was soon also able to feel a little tendril connecting him to everyone else as well. Ten’s heartbeat wasn’t just in his ears anymore, it reverberated in his chest in harmony with Yukhei’s. 

They  _ were _ all connected. 

Taeyong, sniffling like crazy, came over and sat on the floor next to them. Doyoung now had enough strength that he could turn his head to look at him. 

“I told you that story wasn’t stupid,” Taeyong laughed through the tears, “I  _ told _ you!” 

Doyoung laughed breathily, wincing when he moved too much, “Looks like I owe you,” 

* * *

“Doyoung, careful,” 

“Jae, I’m fine,” Doyoung smiled, “Look, I’ve got my cane, I’m leaning on you, and we’re going three miles an hour,” 

“I know, but,” 

“No, no buts! I want to see how the house is doing,” 

Nevertheless, Jaehyun helped Doyoung down the stairs maybe a little bit more than he needed to. 

It had been nearly two weeks. They had all healed faster than anyone expected, but the effects of the docks hadn’t been completely erased. 

Ten had a nasty scar from a knife along his side. Hendery was recovering from a badly sprained ankle from jumping off the roof. Chenle had dislocated his shoulder during his rampage and cut his lips from his fangs, but Johnny, Taeyong, and Jisung were at his every beck and call to keep him from overexerting himself. Jeno was confined to bed rest for as long as they could physically keep him there (which was a challenge in and of itself) because he had broken a rib taking a kick to the chest. All of the vampires had blisters where they had touched or been harmed by silver.

Sicheng hadn’t come out of his room for three days. They sent Taeil in and didn’t see either of them for another two, but eventually they came out and proved they were doing alright. Yangyang and Xiaojun spent the first week with Mark and Yuta, going over every square inch of the mansion to improve the security, Donghyuck hot on their heels. 

Renjun and Jaemin, when they weren’t trying to keep Jeno in bed, had been working with Jungwoo, Yukhei, and Yuta to draw up new schematics of the house. 

“Yuta’s been wanting to expand the East Wing for years now, I want to see what he’s come up with,” 

Jaehyun kept Doyoung’s arm in his, afraid to move more than a foot away at any given time. Doyoung pretended to put up with it, but they both knew how much he appreciated the extra doting. 

They arrived in the kitchen to see several of their Coven members crowding around a rolled out blueprint. 

“... where I think we should add a swimming pool,” 

“We are not adding a swimming pool, Hyuck!” Yuta argued. 

“I think it’d be fun! C’mon, when was the last time you went swimming?” 

“We have a lake out back,” 

Donghyuck groaned and Mark giggled, “Just because you hate the lake doesn’t mean it’s not there,” 

Ten hummed, “No, I agree, I think we should add a pool,” 

Yuta straightened up. “Doyoung,” 

Everyone stopped bickering and stared at their Coven Leader, the Head of the Reigning Family. Essentially, Doyoung and Johnny were now the most important vampires in the country, if not the world. 

“What’s this about a swimming pool? I’ll only allow it if you add a hot tub,” Doyoung grinned. 

Donghyuck gave a little “yesss!” and Yuta sighed, smiling all the while. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for staying with me through this and i hope you've enjoyed!! as you can see below, i've made this a series! in this series ill be posting other off-shoots in the same universe, i'm going to upload a guide so you can see everyone's Bonds, we'll talk about ~powers~ itll be good! 
> 
> thank you for your support all this time <3


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